In early August, a Mercedes-Benz electric car caught fire in South Korea, leading to approximately 140 vehicles being burned. The Mercedes-Benz Korea company revealed on Tuesday (August 13th) that the battery of the burning car came from the Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis Energy, sparking outrage among users.
The incident took place on August 1st in an underground parking lot of an apartment building in Incheon, west of Seoul. According to local media reports, the vehicle that caught fire was a Mercedes-Benz electric car, resulting in about 140 vehicles being destroyed by the fire. Some apartment complexes in South Korea are now considering banning electric vehicles from entering underground parking lots.
Photos of the charred car shells in the underground parking lot circulating on social media were shocking and heart-wrenching. Some residents had to find alternative shelters due to the fire.
A spokesperson for the Incheon Fire Department told AFP, “Although the analysis is still ongoing, the CCTV footage shows that all signs of this fire indicate it was caused by the battery.”
The fire department stated that approximately 23 people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
The Mercedes-Benz Korea company disclosed on Tuesday that the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 involved in the fire was equipped with a battery from the Chinese manufacturer Farasis Technology.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the anger of South Korean electric vehicle owners mainly centers around how the Mercedes-Benz EQE, which has a starting price of about $67,000 in South Korea, was equipped with batteries from Farasis Energy. In 2021, the Chinese automaker BAIC Group recalled around 32,000 electric cars due to the fire risk posed by Farasis Energy batteries.
Following the Mercedes-Benz EQE fire incident, local authorities are discussing whether public charging stations should not allow electric vehicle batteries to be charged beyond 80% to reduce the risk of fires. Local media described South Korea as experiencing a sudden onset of “electric vehicle phobia.”
To ease public anxiety, South Korea decided on Tuesday to recommend that automobile manufacturers proactively disclose information about electric vehicle batteries and will release a comprehensive electric vehicle safety plan early next month.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the information about batteries in electric vehicles was originally confidential, but the fact that the battery brand of the vehicles involved in the Incheon fire differed from the initial reports has raised concerns among car owners, leading to an increased call for the disclosure of battery manufacturer information.
The South Korean government also proposed that all electric vehicle manufacturers conduct free inspections on their sold vehicles and decided to conduct safety inspections of firefighting facilities in multi-unit residential underground parking lots of a certain scale. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport also held a meeting with domestic and imported vehicle manufacturers to discuss the public disclosure of electric vehicle battery information and safety inspection plans.
The European Union approved a mandatory “battery passport” for electric vehicles last year, detailing manufacturer and material sources. This regulation is set to come into effect in 2027.
When a lithium-ion battery catches fire, its burning temperature is much higher than that of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, posing a unique challenge for firefighters. Experts say this is a result of the thermal runaway effect of the battery.
According to Nikkei Asia, the South Korean National Fire Agency stated that once electric vehicle batteries catch fire, they can burn for several hours and are difficult to extinguish. The agency said in a statement on Sunday, “Because of the large capacity lithium batteries embedded in the underside of the vehicle, they can experience thermal explosions, making it impossible to extinguish electric vehicles fires using fire extinguishers sold domestically and internationally.”