Electric vehicles fire-prone?

South Africa is making a steady transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and solar power.

However, fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries in EVs and solar backup power systems have revved up safety concerns.

In 2022, there were more than 200 e-scooter and e-bike fires reported to the New York City fire department in the US, resulting in six fatalities.

It took 200 firefighters to put out a blaze from a scooter that injured seven people in March in the Bronx, in an incident blamed on overheating, damaged or faulty electrical circuits and counterfeit lithium-ion battery units.

Solar backup

With solar backup power systems, ASP Fire chief executive Michael van Niekerk said the management of the battery charging process is key to ensuring there is no thermal runaway with a resulting fire.

The battery’s electrolyte is flammable and this initiates the solid lithium and plastic casing fire.

“Choosing an accredited installer who uses an integrated system and not a lucky packet of components will reduce the risk of a fire. Placing the batteries in a fireproof room is first prize,” he said.

The challenge was that lithium-based battery fires were difficult to extinguish, so separation or cooling was essential in preventing the fire from spreading.

He said it was important to use high-quality solar panels, inverters, wiring, batteries and other components from reputable manufacturers.

Van Niekerk said for insurance purposes, these need to be installed by an accredited installer or electrician.

READ MORE: MasterDrive: EV efficiency better than internal combustion

Poor-quality

Poor-quality components, especially lithium-ion batteries, were more likely to malfunction. The Fire Protection Association of SA would not comment on local firefighters’ competency to handle lithium-based fires as this would be in breach of its confidentiality agreement with government emergency, fire and rescuedepartments.

Pierre-Henry Hurn, sales manager at EV Global, suppliers of electric golf carts, utility vehicles and personal transportation vehicles, said they were aware of instances of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.

But the carts they supply are fitted with lithium iron phosphate batteries, which were less prone to thermal runaway, he said.

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA’s third-quarter 2022 results show EV sales recorded per year from 2016 to 2020 has been modest, with a peak of 154 battery-electric passenger vehicles sold in 2019. A record 218 EVs were sold locally in 2021.

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– siphom@citizen.co.za