Why do electric cars catch fire so quickly?

A common cause of fires in electric cars is damage to the vehicle's battery, often following a serious accident. The damaged battery cells begin to heat up more and more through chemical reactions, and a fire can quickly spread to the rest of the vehicle. This article will help you understand what causes EV fires, how common they are, and what you should do if you encounter one.

So what is the source of the fires?

In the case of electric vehicles, there is no fuel tank and, compared to a petrol or diesel engine, electric motors do not generate as much heat. So why do they catch fire?

In short, it’s all about chemistry. The chemicals and elements that make up the individual cells in an electric vehicle’s battery pack are very sensitive. This is especially true with the lithium-ion technology that most modern electric vehicles use. If an electric vehicle is involved in a very serious accident and the battery is compromised, the battery cells can rupture and heat up to a point called “thermal runaway.”

Thermal runaway occurs when the cells in a battery get so hot that chemical reactions begin to occur, and the heat, in most cases, continues to build up uncontrollably. At this point, the cells can catch fire, spreading throughout the battery until the entire electric vehicle burns out.

Battery cells that are improperly charged or manufactured can also cause thermal runaway. Lithium-ion battery packs are very sensitive to how they are charged. Each cell in the battery module must be charged to a similar level as its neighboring cells, otherwise it can overheat and, again, thermal runaway can occur.

Modern electric cars cool their batteries in two ways, to reduce the risk of thermal runaway and to help the batteries run as efficiently as possible. Older, less expensive electric vehicles tend to use air cooling. This means that the enclosure that houses the battery is built to dissipate heat as air moves over it. Higher-end electric vehicles use a liquid cooling system that circulates coolant through the cells via a radiator and fans to dissipate the heat stored there, similar to the radiator in a gasoline-powered car.

How difficult is it to put out a fire caused by an electric car?

Fires caused by electric vehicles represent a real challenge for firefighters and personnel trained in combating these types of problems. Due to the construction of battery cells based on lithium-ion technology and materials, fires present a much higher degree of complexity and difficulty.

Hyundai recently announced that, according to the company's R&D results, it is recommended to use 11 tons of water to cool down a burning electric vehicle until the fire brigade arrives. This number, 11 tons, is a theoretical estimate that can never be put into practice.

In the context of such fires, the company Bridgehill, headquartered in Norway, began research into fire blankets to develop such a blanket with the aim of resisting and stopping fires caused by electric and classic cars.

The only blanket produced with NASA technology for isolating and extinguishing fires caused by electric vehicles, electric forklifts or lithium-ion batteries .

It allows extinguishing a classic vehicle in 20-30 minutes without the use of water or extinguishers and also isolating any fire caused by electric vehicles or lithium-ion batteries until the firefighters intervene, eliminating the risk of an extensive fire and significant damage .

Present in numerous countries, with awards at various fairs for the efficiency of interventions in warehouses, underground parking lots, production areas, fire departments or car dealerships, BRIDGEHILL FIRE BLANKET is now also present in Romania through DISTREO.

To consult our company's offer and to determine the size and model of fire blanket according to your needs, you can access the section related to fire blankets on our website: Fire Blankets .