E-mobility: What to do in case of fire?

The fire hazard of electric vehicles is, contrary to popular belief, not greater than that of combustion engines. Nevertheless, during the recovery of electric vehicles, dangerous situations can arise due to the risk of a battery fire.

Fire Protection Measures in Electric Vehicles

Every electric car has what is known as intrinsic safety. As soon as any kind of defect occurs in the vehicle, the flow of electricity is interrupted. In the event of an accident, all components connected to the system are disconnected from the power supply. This is also important to ensure that potential rescuers are not exposed to the life-threatening voltage that would otherwise be present in the vehicle components of an electric car.

The vehicle floor is especially reinforced at critical points to protect the sensitive battery cells. This is important because the risk of fire increases enormously with the deformation of the cells.

First Responders at an Accident with an Electric Vehicle

What applies to combustion engines also applies to electric cars: secure the accident site and - taking into account your own risk - free people from the affected vehicle. When approaching an accident involving an electric vehicle, you should first check if it is switched off. If you are unsure whether the vehicle is still running, professional firefighter Oliver Schweder recommends paying attention to the airbag:

"If you see that the airbags in the car have deployed, you can be sure or relatively sure that apart from the battery, there is no more electricity present, even if the indicators and hazard lights and lights are still on."

In this case, the drive battery has automatically shut down. If the vehicle is not yet on fire, first responders can carefully approach the electric car. If the electric car has already caught fire, you should absolutely move away from the smoke to avoid smoke inhalation.

Accident with Your Own Electric Car

It is important to have electric vehicles checked by a specialist workshop as quickly as possible even after minor accidents. Vibrations can damage the structure of the battery. In rare cases, a damaged power storage unit can also cause a delayed fire. However, there is no evidence that electric vehicles are more prone to catching fire in the event of a defect than combustion vehicles.

If the vehicle has already caught fire, it is usually not possible to extinguish the fire yourself. Despite the safety shut-off of the power flow, parts of the high-voltage system (for example, orange cables or parts of the drive) should not be touched as a precaution.

The Worst Case: Thermal Runaway

As a result of a severe accident, the safety mechanisms of the drive battery may be compromised. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to the so-called thermal runaway. In this situation, the battery burns intensely and must be extinguished by the fire department using a large quantity of water. To stop this chain reaction in the battery cells, it is usually necessary to submerge the vehicle in a water container. This container must first be transported to the site, which, due to the size of the container, is typically done with a roll-off truck, such as those used in the construction or waste management industries. Additionally, a greater number of firefighters are required for the extinguishing process. Since the electric vehicle must be monitored for 24 hours after a fire, additional personnel are needed for this task as well.

Apart from the logistical effort and the immense costs caused by the water bath and subsequent monitoring, there are also environmental consequences due to the toxic substances contained in the power storage units.