We hear a lot about electric cars and fires, but the reality is that they are by far the safest option compared to hybrids and gasoline. Electric cars have been heavily linked to an increased risk of fire. But is that the case? Are electrics the fear and dread when it comes to the possibility of fire, or are hybrids and gasoline proving more vulnerable?
The only serious and reliable way to find the truth is to look at the numbers. A study in the United States did just that. He collected the data on car fires and extracted the percentage corresponding to each fuel. The result of the survey – More fires for electrics, gasoline or hybrids? The result is absolute, clear and overwhelming in favor of electric cars. The chance of a car that runs solely on batteries catching fire is minimal. In comparison, the numbers for hybrids and gasoline cars are much higher. See also: Electric car burned in the center of Athens -
What happened to the battery? [video] The research brought out three numbers which concern a case of fire for every 100,000 cars. 25.1 cases were recorded in electrics, 1,529 cases in gasoline and 3,474 cases in hybrids. In simple terms this means that a petrol car is almost 61 times more likely to catch fire than an electric one, while a hybrid is 138 times more likely to burst into flames. Electric cars rarely catch fire, but they're hard to put out Fires in electric cars may actually be a rare occurrence, but they are significantly more devastating. Lithium batteries are difficult to extinguish, and the water commonly used cannot do much against them.
The use of foam in some, very few cases, increases the chances that firefighters will achieve their goal. So far, the most effective solution seems to be the use of a special blanket, which is made of materials that can withstand the temperatures that develop and has the ability to make the fire go out on its own. Already in Greece, the Fire Department has procured such blankets, with the executives being informed about it and undergoing the appropriate training in order to have the necessary preparedness if such an eventuality arises. In the future, electric fires will decrease even more
The frequency of fires as a percentage is expected to decrease in the coming years, as the automotive industry turns to other types of batteries besides lithium-ion ones. At the moment already half of the electric cars sold worldwide have LFP batteries which are much more difficult to catch fire, while in the coming years solid state batteries will also come, which are expected to be even safer.
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