Electric car versus gasoline-powered car: What's the truth about the rumors of burning batteries?

A figure quoted by the German Insurance Association (GDV) for 2017 is 40,000: that is how many vehicles caught fire in total this year. Of these, 15,000 cases are considered to be fires in the narrower sense, while the remaining 25,000 are said to be attributable to scorching damage caused by short circuits. If you consider that Germany was still a long way from the current boom in electric cars, these figures might make you think. Many people are not aware that "ordinary" gasoline and diesel cars have always been a fire hazard. The stereotype of the e-car with a burning battery is too big, and in numerous WhatsApp groups of diesel fans it is carried on and shamelessly exploited.

In the following, we will therefore take an unbiased look at the facts behind the myth of the burning electric car.

Same fire risk for electric cars and combustion engines

Various studies and test centers have already repeatedly confirmed that the tale of the burning electric car is a rumor. For example, several studies show that the intensity of a fire is independent of the type of drive. Rather, it depends on the materials installed in the car. The fact that the so-called fire load in today's cars is about 2 to 3 times higher than in those of thirty years ago is solely due to the significantly higher proportion of plastic panels installed in them today.

Evidence of the fire hazard in general is provided by Dekra, which attests to the high reliability of electric cars in terms of shutting down their high-voltage systems in the event of an accident. Even if the traction batteries were significantly deformed, no fires would occur.

And as far as underground parking garage fires in particular are concerned, the electric cars currently in use are no less safe than other cars parked there, even during charging. If we look at parking in underground garages per se, this does not pose any danger either, because the batteries installed in modern e-vehicles do not gas out.

So there is nothing to suggest that an electric vehicle could pose a higher fire hazard than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine.

Other burning behavior

Of course, it is possible for an electric car to catch fire. It should be noted, however, that not every fire in a vehicle necessarily spreads to the battery. In the case of lithium-ion batteries, a chemical reaction is only likely to occur if the battery is exposed to heat for a long time or if the battery body is significantly damaged.

Once a fire has spread to the battery, however, it can no longer be controlled with the usual extinguishing agents. This is because the battery is not directly accessible, which is why it may continue to burn. In such a case, considerable amounts of water are needed to cool the battery and interrupt the chemical processes taking place.

However, there is also a statement on this from a reliable source: As recently as February of this year, the German Fire Brigades Association stated that the fire department's ability to extinguish vehicles on fire also extends to electric cars. Although firefighting may be somewhat more difficult in individual cases with electric vehicles than with internal combustion engines, there is no fundamental difference compared to a gas-powered vehicle, clarifies Peter Bachmeier, Chief Fire Officer and Chairman of the "Preventive Fire and Hazard Protection" expert committee of the German fire departments.

From a fire protection perspective, there is also no reason to close a garage to vehicles with alternative drive systems. The only thing that has not yet been conclusively clarified in this regard is the removal of burnt-out e-vehicles, because after the vehicle has been extinguished, there is a risk of "re-ignition". But solutions are already available for this problem as well. Soon they will be a permanent part of the "toolbox" of every towing company.

Source: t3n.de, Frank Feil, 03.08.2023
Image: Hermann Kollinger at Pixabay