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There are more and more people driving electric cars on the road, but news of spontaneous combustion is endless. In addition, the public’s limited understanding of lithium batteries has exacerbated our negative impression of electric cars. Why does this new technological trend give people a dangerous feeling? The following will explain to you the causes of electric car fires, tell you how to protect yourself, and introduce you to electric car fire blankets.
Two years ago, a well-known Taiwanese artist had an accident while driving an electric car, and the car caught fire, which caused heated discussions from all walks of life. Last year, an electric car caught fire in Wareham, England. It took 3 hours and 11,000 gallons (nearly 50,000 liters) of water to put out the fire. Why do electric cars catch fire? There may be many reasons for electric car fires, but the following 4 reasons are common:
The wires inside the electric car are damaged, causing a short circuit.
CTIF (International Fire and Rescue Association) once pointed out: “In order to extinguish an electric vehicle fire, 150,000 liters of water must be used.” Regarding the difficulty of extinguishing fires caused by electric vehicles, we first need to introduce you to the characteristics of lithium ions, and then explain the lithium battery protection measures currently taken by electric vehicle manufacturers on the vehicle body.
The lithium battery of an electric vehicle uses a highly active electrolyte to store electricity. Once there is improper charging or external impact, it may cause a short circuit, causing the battery to heat up, and then causing the electrolyte to overheat and ignite. The combustion of the chemical substances in the lithium battery itself will provide more chemical reactions and combustible substances for the fire, forming a cycle of continuous self-heating, which is called thermal runaway.
Also because highly active chemical substances will continue to burn as long as the temperature is high, a large amount of water will be needed to continuously cool down the fire until it is extinguished. Furthermore, the flame of the lithium battery appears in the form of a “jet” and may quickly ignite surrounding objects. Spaces where electric vehicles “cluster” such as ferries, parking lots, and tunnels should be considered to have safety risks.
In response to electric vehicle fires, Belgium once used the “water soaking” method. After controlling the fire, the electric vehicle was towed to a large water tank to cool down. However, this method does work and can reduce the temperature of the vehicle body a lot. However, the method that is more in line with the spontaneous combustion of the general public should be to prepare an “electric vehicle fire blanket.”
Fire blankets are currently the main way to deal with electric vehicle fires. To prevent accidents, SUIHUA provides vehicle fire blankets of various sizes. Many fire blankets on the market use sample cloths and are tested in a high-temperature, fire-free oven. It is difficult to confirm the heat resistance when encountering flames, and it is also impossible to clearly define how long it can withstand flames. However, this SUIHUA electric vehicle fire blanket has passed the SGS EN 13501-1 certification, NFPA, with flame resistance, effective fire prevention/good smoke resistance, and can cover a fire of more than 1,000 degrees for for a long time without damage.
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