EV Catches Fire Why? As you see in the past few months there have been several incidents of EVs catching fire. Especially electric scooter cases are quite trending these days.
And this is the worst situation we say, because catching fire in EVs became a huge concern for EV enthusiasts and EV buyers. They are afraid of choosing electric vehicles over petrol vehicles, and also this forced EV buyers to wait until the situation is under control.
In this post, we are going to discuss Why Do EV Vehicles Catches Fire?, tips to prevent EV fire, its Solutions, causes of fire in lithium-ion electric vehicles, and also how to protect EV batteries from fire. Let’s explore…
Why do EV batteries catches fire?
Lithium-ion batteries fails and there is mainly two different reasons behind this failure. The first reason is that if there is a fault in the manufacturing of the battery itself.
Another second reason behind that battery failure depends on basic factors
- Vibration stress on ev battery
- An electric short, or
- simply bad luck
- Cause & Problems
A manufacturing defect in the EVS battery can cause a fire or a serious accident. On the other hand, too much vibration in batteries during rides or transportation, which is beyond the handling capacity of a lithium-ion battery, can cause a fire hazard. Also, sometimes an electrical short can cause a fire.
99% of EV battery fires are due to short circuits in batteries. Mainly Short circuit only happens because of the reasons explained below:
- Poor cell quality
- Poor design of the battery (the way cells are connected & packaged)
- Poor BMS (management of cells via sensing & software intelligence)
Myths on EV batteries catches fire?
Many rumours are spread that EV batteries catches fire because of overheating but this is not the genuine reason. I will explain to you why overheating is not a cause of ev fire.
Li-ion batteries need to hit a few hundred degrees Celsius to cause fire (the fires you see are the result of thermal runaway).
Most of the modern batteries automatically shut down around when the temperature increases to 45-55°C. And safety precautions prevent your battery from overheating. You cannot heat the battery to a few hundred degrees Celsius simply through ambient heat.
Now you say the climate are hotter in summers. Sure, it is But 100°C is not possible and also battery doesn’t generate too much heat. Summers hot affect battery performances & life but don’t cause fires at that time.
But, then why do EV batteries catch fire?
99% of battery fires are due to short circuits leading to uncontrolled current. As a result, the cell’s temperature is up by a few hundred degrees Celsius, leading to thermal runaway.
Short circuits happen for three reasons:
- 1. Poor cell quality: This causes internal short-circuiting.
- Poor design of the battery: The way cells are connected & packaged has a big impact on safety.
- Poor BMS or overcharging
EV battery fire warning signs
Some of the signs may be experienced or noticed in the event of a fire in a lithium-ion battery. The battery may overheat or swell. Additionally, the color of the battery may become discolored, which can cause damage and start to smoke.
Tips to Prevent EV Batteries Fire
Catching Fires in electric vehicles are very rare as Compared to ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) powered vehicles. But whenever if lithium-ion battery catches, this is a really difficult deal to handle. Simple things just kept on your mind to prevent ev fire.
The battery should not be charged immediately just after driving, because the lithium-ion cells inside the battery are very hot at that time. If you have a detachable battery, then this is the best choice remove your battery and charge it separately.
Use only the battery which is designed for that vehicle. Using cheap local batteries can also cause damage to the electric vehicle. Also, use the local charging cable cases ev fire.
Avoid placing the batteries in direct sunlight or in hot vehicles. Always store it in a cool and ventilated place. When the battery is fully charged, then remove the batteries from their charger plug. The battery and charger must be originally manufactured or bought from an authorized seller.
Before use, check the batteries to see if there is any damage to them or not. If any defect is observed, do not use it and report it to the manufacturer. Also, check out the overheating problem of batteries.
Here are some basic tips to reduce the risk of fire. Well, throwing money and buying better cells doesn’t solve battery safety. The problem is collectively shared between:
- Mechanical systems (we need better-designed packs)
- Electronics systems (we need accurate BMS sensing and impedance management)
- Software systems (we need deeper intelligence and reliable code that doesn’t crash)
And above all, a whole lot of testing.
