- Electric cars catch fire during transport
- Unpredictable and uncontrollable fires put people and the environment at risk
- Electric car fires can burn for days
Electric cars catch fire during transport
Last summer, the world's media was abuzz with the news of an unexpected fire on board a cargo ship carrying more than 4,000 electric vehicles.
The fire did not avoid casualties: one crew member was killed. The crew of 23 initially tried to extinguish the flames but had to flee from the fire and jump into the water[1].
The cause of the fire soon became clear. The fire was started by one of the electric vehicles on board. Following this incident, the International Maritime Organisation decided to introduce new rules for ships carrying electric vehicles. It is these vehicles that are increasingly being blamed for such fires in recent times.
What is worrying is not only the frequency with which such fires occur but also their scale. The most recent incident was extremely difficult to contain. Although a major rescue operation was launched, the authorities feared that the fire could burn for weeks and threaten nearby natural areas.
It was too dangerous to send firefighters on board immediately after the incident was reported. The incident also affected the routes of other cargo ships traveling along the shipping lane.
And such cases are indeed becoming more frequent. In 2022, there was also a fire in the Atlantic Ocean on a cargo ship carrying thousands of ultra-luxury vehicles.
It was later discovered that the batteries of the electric cars on board may have been the cause of the fire on board, which was simply drifting at sea for some time after the fire.
Unpredictable and uncontrollable fires put people and the environment at risk
Last summer's fire on a cargo ship alarmed experts in different fields and led to talk of a huge risk to man and nature.
The fire in the middle of the open sea was difficult to control, and the emergency services were unable to reach the crew quickly, so they had to save themselves. The fact that no casualties were avoided only shows the complexity of the situation.
The rescued sailors suffered respiratory problems and were also treated for burns and broken bones.
In addition, the Waddensee area covering the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany was the scene of the incident. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to more than 10 000 species of aquatic and terrestrial animals[2].
These include more than 140 species of fish, about 20 of which spend their entire lives in the intertidal zones along the islands' famous mudflats. The area is also home to a large population of seals and porpoises.
In early 2019, a storm in the same area caused some 340 containers to fall off one of the world's largest container ships, contaminating kilometers of untouched coastline with plastic and polystyrene. Even then, insurers said that fires or other incidents involving car carriers were increasingly causing major environmental damage.
Electric car fires can burn for days
As electric cars become more and more popular, the risks and damages associated with them need to be addressed. Experts have already pointed out the risk of spontaneous fires or fires in electric cars after accidents.
Data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows that battery-powered electric cars are much safer than hybrids and cars with internal combustion engines. This data shows that electric cars are less likely to catch fire than other vehicles, with hybrids being the most dangerous, followed by petrol cars.
However, some experts believe that no firm conclusions on the risk of fires can yet be drawn because of insufficient data.
Graham Conway, chief engineer at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, says that there is not enough information at the moment to say whether electric cars are more likely to spontaneously combust than other vehicles.
"Previous data shows that after 41 fatal collisions involving EVs, 1 (2.44%) caught fire. After 20,315 fatal collisions involving petrol cars, 644 (3.17%) caught fire. After 543 fatal collisions involving petrol hybrid vehicles, 12 vehicles caught fire (2.21%). However, this is data for 41 crashes against 20,315 crashes or 543 crashes. It is statistically irresponsible to compare these figures. For example, if the 42nd crash with an electric car were to occur and it caught fire, then that would be 4.76% of electric vehicles, or twice as many as hybrid vehicles. Until the sample is uniform and significant, we simply cannot say which will be worse or not," says Conway.
Richard Billyeald, chief technical officer at Thatcham Research in the UK, also says that the data currently available is extremely limited.
"Our latest research shows that all types of electric vehicles remain less likely to be at risk of fire than internal combustion engine vehicles. It should be noted that the data to be used is only five years old, and even now, the number of EVs on the road is still a very small sample. This is also reflected in the safety tests we are conducting in the UK and with the European Organisation for the Safety of Motor Vehicles, where, despite the severe impacts on the front and especially the sides of the vehicle, where the battery is most vulnerable, there were no thermal incidents," says Billyeald.
However, some experts point out that fires caused by electric vehicles are extremely dangerous, can burn for days and often start again when the fire seems to be out. Firefighters are now trained that full immersion in water may be the only way to make sure the fire is out[3].
Moreover, such incidents can be deadly. Batteries, which can stretch to all four corners, have a larger area in which they can be damaged compared to internal combustion engines.
Batteries are also a huge cost factor. For example, a Jaguar I-Pace battery costing around USD 100 000 is about half the price. Thus, insurance costs are likely to be huge and may make these vehicles unaffordable for all but the highest income buyers.
Given that prices are currently at least twice as high as a conventional ICE car, this would be a major obstacle to further increasing the uptake of EVs and to the hope that everyone will switch to less polluting vehicles in the near future.
