As a result of an incident in which the Mercedes battery spontaneously ignited, Due to smoke in the building, 23 people were taken to hospital and over 200 families were left without a roof over their heads for several weeks. Authorities said it took more than eight hours to extinguish the blaze, which was sparked by the explosion of an unplugged electric sedan in an apartment’s underground parking lot in July.
Electric vehicle phobia
There has been widespread concern about electric vehicles since the Incheon apartment building fire, a phenomenon local media has dubbed “electric vehicle phobia”. Most apartment buildings across the country have issued notices advising EV owners to be careful when charging batteries, while some have even banned EVs from entering or parking them altogether.
Public outcry prompted the government to the introduction earlier this month of a set of regulations aimed at alleviating concerns. One of them is the obligation to disclose the brands of batteries installed in their vehicles. Until now, car manufacturers kept the identity of their battery suppliers secret, not only in Korea, but all over the world.
Critical item a security risk?
Batteries are a critical component of electric cars. However, if they are not manufactured or operated correctly, they can pose serious safety risks.
Until the Mercedes battery spontaneously combusted, electric vehicle owners did not have the privilege of knowing any details about the battery in their car. And that seems both strange and unfair, considering that Batteries are one of the most important and expensive parts of a vehicle.
Shouldn’t consumers have the right to clear and transparent information before making a purchase, especially when it is closely related to safety? Bloomberg asks.
Battery manufacturers will be transparent
Once the new regulations come into effect (no date has been set and it may take several months), consumers in Korea should be able to take battery manufacturers into consideration when purchasing an electric vehicleIt is still unclear what type of detailed information will be disclosed.
The dramatic fire has shaken public opinion in Korea at an unfortunate time when growth in electric vehicle sales – worldwide – is slowing. The broader negative nThe attitude towards electric vehicles is also undermining government efforts to introduce more environmentally friendly cars to the market. and strengthen the charging infrastructure across the country.
Most automakers report decline in electric vehicle sales in August / Bloomberg
Falling demand
Before the incident, the country’s electric vehicle market was growing rapidly, accounting for more than 9 percent of new car registrations last year, according to data from the transport ministry. But after the incident in July Most automakers reported a decline in electric vehicle sales in August.
