What's the fire risk of NOT installing EV charging?
- 17 hours ago
- 5 min read
There's a massive misconception that electric vehicle + charging = fireball...but what's the fire risk of NOT installing dedicated, compliant EV charging for a depot, fleet, apartment buildings, public carpark or government department?
With 8 years of global data on why EVs catch fire at charging, we make the case FOR rolling in EV charging in communal areas to help avoid EV battery fire risk, using our EV Safer Charging System framework.
When an electric vehicle caught fire in leafy Glen Waverley, Melbourne, in September 2024, the media was quick to blame the high voltage lithium-ion battery pack. But the truth was far simpler.
The vehicle was a 'grey' import, a Nissan Leaf bought second hand from Japan, which is often a cost effective way to purchase an EV here in Australia.
The problem was, it came with a Japanese portable charging plug, which didn't fit into an Aussie powerpoint. So, the owner used a travel adaptor - the kind of thing you buy at the airport to charge your phone or computer when overseas - which wasn't rated for the amount of power draw required for EVs.
The adaptor overheated, caught fire and spread to the EV, another vehicle and then the owners home garage.
The EV was the victim of the fire...not the cause.
EV FireSafe's data, insurance information and anecdotal evidence suggests poor charging practices are increasingly the cause of charging-connected fires involving EVs around the world. This points to a lack of awareness, both for new EV drivers, but primarily for sites installing EV charging who may (or may not) have thought about fire risk.
EV drivers may 'risk it' to charge their battery
We've seen damaged EV charging cables wrapped in electrical tape plugged into 10amp powerpoints in multi-level shopping centre carparks, extension cords daisy-chained from homes and slung over a tree to reach EVs parked on the street and even one owner who plugged directly into the power grid...you can see how that ended.
The challenge for the adoption of EVs is owners need safe, reliable and compliant charging infrastructure to support their driving, however they may be travelling to charging 'blackspot', not have off-street parking or have simply skimped on the cost of professionally installing a charging unit.
Could installing EV charging actually reduce fire risk?
When EV charging is done properly, using electrically compliant, purpose-built equipment installed by licensed professionals, the overall fire risk can actually decrease through a reduction in the dangerous behaviours and improvisations that we know can cause fires in the first place.
Our experience is dedicated EV charging reduces indirect fire risk by removing the:
Use of underrated extension cords, power boards or travel adaptors
Need to plug chargers into old or overloaded electrical circuits
Using uncertified portable cables
Additionally, installing dedicated EV charging encourages good housekeeping, and may reduce:
Risk of charging in cluttered areas with flammable materials
Daisy-chaining multiple devices on one outlet
Use of damaged cables
These practices can cause overheating, electrical faults and ignition long before a vehicle’s battery is ever involved. In strata buildings, apartment basements, parking garages and workplaces, this problem is amplified by a lack of awareness by site owners and managers.
Facebook-fuelled fear is often preventing safe EV charging
On the flip side, we're hear regularly from drivers, body corporate members, site managers, fire engineers and other stakeholders that they're a) worried about EV charging fire risk as infrastructure is installed, b) a refusal to install dedicated EV charging or c) even charging being removed in an apparent knee-jerk reaction to fire risk.
What the data tells us is clear; the risk of an EV battery fire while using compliant, professionally installed EV charging infrastructure is very low and can be further mitigated with driver awareness, collaboration with your fire agency, sensible best practice and a regular maintenance schedule.
When EV charging stations are installed to standard, the charging process becomes dramatically safer. At a high level, compliant installation includes:
Dedicated circuits sized for EV load
Multiple layers of electrical protection (RCDs, RCBOs, surge protection)
Tethered cables properly rated for continuous high loads
Secure mounting and protection
Equipment tested and certified by recognised bodies
Clear signage and safe-use instructions
A weekly and annual maintenance plan
Proper charging stations are engineered for high power draw and continuous operation - something a 10amp socket was never designed for.
It should be noted however, that EV battery fires can - and do - occur while charging, typically due to causes such as collision, extended submersion in flood water or a battery fault. These are covered on our website here - https://www.evfiresafe.com/research-ev-fire-charging
Developing a structured framework for safer EV charging
Back in 2023 we were engaged by the Australian Building Code Board to investigate EV battery fires at charging, to support the development of their Advisory Notice Electric Vehicles in Buildings - this is an at-a-glance, non-regulatory 15 point plan for site owners and managers to follow.
While the Notice supports site owners and managers with fire safety, it perhaps doesn't go far enough in answering all the questions that go with fire safety at EV charging.
So we developed the EV Safer Charging System, a complete framework for fire safety at EV charging sites, that is currently available for Australia and New Zealand, as well as the United Kingdom (which has been endorsed by the UK Government Department the Energy Saving Trust).
In short, the EV SCS helps site owners and managers take a proactive approach to risk EV battery fire risk management:
Understand regulation - what you MUST do
Understand global best practice - what is GOOD to do
Identify hidden fire risks
Standardise safe charging behaviour
Collaborate with their fire engineer, fire agency and insurer
To make it a smooth process, it also provides:
Templates and forms like how to write a pre-incident plan, and what a weekly maintenance schedule should include
Driver awareness posters, signage and sticker designs
EV safe use tips, a toolbox talk for companies and a safe work procedure for fleet drivers
EV Safer Charging System for United Kingdom are over at our dedicated training platform evfiresafe.training and you can download the course descriptions below:
The bottom line for EV charging site fire safety
We can't remove all risk of an EV battery fire at charging...but we can reduce it sensibly and cost effectively.
EVs themselves are not inherently fire-prone, and global data consistently shows they ignite far less frequently than petrol or diesel vehicles.
But the way EVs are charged does matter. By replacing unsafe, improvised charging with a system for compliant, certified, professionally installed equipment, building owners and organisations can significantly reduce the risk of EV-related fire incidents, protect property, and support safer electrification.
We hope the EV Safer Charging System is part of that journey for you, but even if just this article has helped answer some of your questions, we're glad to have helped.
As always, thanks for supporting our work and if you have any questions, please pop them through to hello@evfiresafe.com
