By Lauren Fix
In less than two years, 11 people perished and 251 were injured in NYC alone, due to fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters, according to the FDNY.
In 2021, 4 people died and 79 were injured in 104 lithium-ion battery fueled blazes in homes, fire officials said. Last year, those numbers took a concerning climb: six people were killed and 142 hurt in 220 battery-related fires.
Why are lithium-ion batteries catching fire? Why is it happening and how can you prevent it?
A lithium-ion battery is “an advanced battery technology that uses lithium ions as a key component of its electrochemistry”. They are in almost every modern battery-powered device and vehicle. The batteries have a tendency to overheat and can spontaneously combust when charging. The Clean Energy Institute said the batteries can also lose capacity and fail “after a number of years.”
These lithium-ion battery powered vehicles are used by food delivery workers, they rely on e-bikes and e-scooters that contain lithium-ion batteries for their jobs. Some people and businesses store these vehicles in their living space and use them as transportation.
The big concerns are the many fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, not just in big cities but across the country. Lithium-ion batteries sparked 60 fires across New York City in the first three months of 2022, according to the Fire Department in the city. The data shows it represents a 233% increase from the same period last year.
That’s scooters – but what about electric cars? Yes, they are having issues with fires as well. A Tesla spontaneously burst into flames on a California freeway and firefighters used over 6 thousand gallons of water to put it out, in January 2023. Electric vehicles have lithium-ion batteries that can present fire and explosion hazards when damaged, according to OSHA.
These dramatic scenes are playing out all around the country. It would make sense that an accident could cause a fire in any vehicle. But electric cars carry Lithium-Ion batteries and if punctured the fire is more intense and more difficult to put out as there is a chemical chain reaction with each battery cell.
The big concern are electric cars that spontaneously catching fire days after they were in a crash. It’s incidents like these that have some questioning the safety of electric cars compared to gasoline powered cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is aware and looking in to these situations.
There has been a few recalls due to potential fires, manufacturers are standing behind their products and offering recalls to customers as issues arise.
Lithium-ion batteries, whether they are used in cars or electronic devices, can catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured or damaged, or if the software that operates the battery is not designed correctly. The major weakness of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars is the use of organic liquid electrolytes, which are volatile and flammable when operating at high temperatures. An external force such as a crash can also lead to chemical leakage. For e-scooters and e-bikes, do not over charge them. If they don’t have a battery-saver feature, unplug the vehicles when they are fully charged. In the meantime, many buildings are banning electric personal mobile vehicles.
For EV fires, it’s been always very difficult to pinpoint the exact root cause of the fire, because it is extremely difficult to ‘re-enact’ the fire incident with the same conditions. Also authorities, car makers, and battery makers often do not disclose what the exact safety risk caused or could cause a fire.
Here’s the bottom lines as of todays data, posts about EVs spontaneously exploding, or starting fires that can’t be put out with water, have helped promote the narrative that electric vehicles are far less safe than conventional cars. The research doesn’t bear this out. Two recent Highway Loss Data Institute reports found that EVs posed no additional risk for non-crash fires. Electric car fires present a new technical and safety challenge for fire departments. These fires burn at much higher temperatures and require a lot more water to fight than conventional car fires.
The smartest move to prevent home fire with you EVs, is to have a certified electrician install any home charging stations. Yes, it will cost more but it will keep you safer.
There is so much more to discuss on this, put your comments below and let’s start the conversation.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.
Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak.
Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.
Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.
