It has been established in the popular belief that electric vehicles have a greater tendency to burn than those equipped with a combustion engine. However, a study conducted in Sweden claims otherwise.
In recent years, electric vehicles have grown in popularity and become an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional internal combustion vehicles.
However, your growth must still overcome some barriers and certain beliefs do not contribute to it. For example, there is a deeply rooted belief in society that electric vehicles are inherently dangerous due to the possibility of fires in their battery systems. And there’s no question that car fires are a serious and legitimate concern.
However, the excessive focus on the electric vehicles so prone to fires it can be misleading. The belief is based on the idea that lithium-ion batteries, used in electric vehicles, are inherently unsafe and more likely to catch fire compared to fossil fuels used in internal combustion vehicles.
the reality is very differentat least according to the results of the study carried out in Sweden and which compiles the fires in vehicles of all kinds that have occurred in the Nordic country between 2018 and 2022.
What the vehicle fire study says
The study has been carried out by the Norwegian Agency for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness (MSB).
It reveals that, during the year 2022, a total of 106 fires in various electrical means of transportboth in those that work completely with electrical energy and in those that do so partially.
Most of these fires occurred on electric scooters, with 38 cases, followed by passenger cars with 23 cases and electric bicycles with 20 cases. Meanwhile, hoverboard fires have decreased in recent years, but electric scooters have seen an increase.
In addition, they were included in the collection of data on truck and bus fires that use electrical energy, either in whole or in part. However, most trucks and buses still run on diesel, according to Ulf Bergholm, manager of MSB’s accident learning unit.
As to electric carsIn the last three years, an average of about 20 fires a year has been observed, despite the fact that the number of electric cars in circulation has almost doubled to almost 611,000.
By comparison, there are nearly 4.4 million cars powered by other fuels. During that same period, approximately 3400 carsregardless of the fuel used, they were involved in fires.
Looking at the number of fires per vehicle and comparing by fuel type, there are still more cases of fires in passenger cars powered by fossil fuels than those wholly or partially powered by lithium-ion batteries.
This conclusion is based on the fact that approximately 0.004% of all electric and plug-in hybrid cars in Sweden caught fire. Parallel, about 0.08% of cars running entirely on fossil fuels caught fireand that also includes arson.
To learn more about the number of fires in different types of vehicles and to learn more about these incidents, the summary can be consulted of fires in electric vehicles, which includes data collected by the MSB from reports of the rescue services between the years 2018 and 2022.
conclusions
From these and other data it can be concluded that fires in electric vehicles are rare events. Contributing to this is the fact that battery technology has improved significantly in terms of security, and manufacturers have implemented additional protection measures to minimize risks.
Besides, electric vehicles are equipped with advanced battery management systems, which include cooling systems, short circuit protection and continuous temperature monitoring. These systems are designed to detect and mitigate any potential problems before they become a risk situation.
What also cannot be denied is that once an electric vehicle equipped with lithium batteries catches fire, it becomes intense and prolonged, increasing the potential danger of it. Hence, both the industry and the scientific community work on new technologies that reduce or extinguish the risk of fire. An example of this is solid state batteries.
Regardless of this, it is a fact that any vehicle, whatever its type, has the possibility of suffering a fire. Therefore, it is essential to follow safety guidelines established by manufacturers and are properly maintained to ensure driving safety.
As the transition to electric mobility continues to accelerate, it is essential demystify unfounded concerns and promote a dialogue based on data and facts.
And these support the claim that electric vehicles represent a promising and safe alternative for transportationand understanding the reality of your safety is critical to making informed decisions and fostering a successful transition to a more sustainable future in the automotive industry.
More information | DN.se
