Electric vehicle batteries can make fires dangerous and complicated to put out. Now, with the near-widespread acceptance of our EV future, it’s time to examine what causes these fires and why they’re so difficult and dangerous to put out.
Table of Contents
The Electric Vehicle Battery
An electric vehicle battery is made up of a few parts. First, there’s that hard metal shell you see above. Below that is where the batteries and the cooling systems are housed. The inside of an electric vehicle battery is not somewhere you want things to get. This rupturing is the key to why most EV fires start and why they’re so hard to get out.
Usually, like your phone, an electric vehicle battery is made of a lithium-ion cell. The lithium in an EV, like a Tesla, reacts violently to air and water. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence. It takes a lot to puncture these cells, and vehicles nowadays often have additional protection to ensure that is never an issue- for you or the fire department.
Electric vehicle Batteries can Reignite
However, this cellular structure is both a benefit and a weakness. If a cell is punctured, odds are it’ll do something wrong, be it igniting or failing. Of course, if one cell does happen to puncture, there can be a chain reaction.
Cell after cell can puncture and burn, and it’s often hard to tell how severe that can be. Moreover, it’s difficult to tell when the risk has passed. Slow leaks can cause flare-ups hours or even days later.
So, it’s not necessarily that electric vehicle batteries will magically catch fire again. Instead, the reaction can often be slow, with cells rupturing and burning at different rates. That’s invariably the most significant danger here. It’s hard for firefighters to tell when fires are out and if they’ll come back once they’re out.
Conclusion
The reality is that electric vehicle batteries can catch fire. Although they don’t happen often, they are still prone to fire and oftentimes, the fire starts slowly before it gradually spreads to other parts of the vehicle. Always ensure you are observing safety procedures with your electric vehicle
