Fire hazards in parking garages: NIPV warns against electric cars

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It doesn’t happen every day, but it can happen: an electric car that catches fire. Such a burning EV is not easily extinguished and thus poses quite a few challenges. Especially in an enclosed space like a parking garage. The fire is difficult for the fire department to reach, toxic fumes are released and the risk of the fire spreading to other cars is high. On top of that, the structure of the garage itself can collapse under the heat. Not a pretty prospect.

More and more risks

Electric cars now account for nearly 10 percent of the total fleet in our country. Five years ago, that figure was 3.7 percent. As the number of EVs grows, so does the risk of EV fires. That’s logical, Cruijff would have said. The figures confirm this. In 2021, there were still 58 fires involving EVs. Last year, 201 e-cars caught fire.

“If in ten years 50 percent of our vehicle fleet is electric, the way parking garages are set up now will no longer be feasible,” Nils Rosmuller, lecturer in energy and transport safety at NIPV, told the  NOS.

The solution: an immersion tank

Extinguishing is proving to be quite a challenge. Sprinkler systems are useless with burning batteries, and parking cars strategically near the entrance or exit for quick evacuation? Experts say that hardly helps at all.

One of the most discussed solutions is the so-called immersion tank: a large container of water into which a burning electric car can be completely submerged. But it is not simple. The car often has to stay in the water for five days to make sure the fire is completely out. A time-consuming process.

Causes often unclear

Fires in electric cars are not always caused by charging. Frequently, the exact cause remains unknown. Even a small accident can later cause problems with the battery, which can eventually lead to a fire.

Time for action

The NIPV stresses that new guidelines for the construction and design of parking garages must be established soon. Municipalities should inspect more strictly and consider modifications to make these spaces more secure. Because if the prediction comes true that within a few years half of all cars will be electric, things could go badly wrong at some point.

Also read: This fire truck can put out burning electric cars