Last Thursday in an underground parking lot at a residential complex in Incheon, west of Seoul a disconnected electric Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire – the fire services reported. More than 700 residents were evacuated due to water and power outages, and the fire damaged about 140 cars, according to the Incheon Metropolitan City Government. Twenty-three people were hospitalized.
Mercedes-Benz Korea will fully cooperate with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire but declined to comment further, according to the statement, Bloomberg reported.
Parking and charging bans in the garage
The incident has shocked the public in South Korea. According to social media posts, several office buildings banned entry and parking of electric vehicles in underground garages. Meanwhile, some housing management committees are advising owners of electric vehicles to took extra care when loading their cars.
The electric car fire occurred at a time when the popularity of electric cars is declining around the world and sales growth is slowing.
The main reasons for the decline in demand for electric cars
Statistics show that combustion engine car fires are much more common than electric cars. However, it should be remembered that there are many more vehicles with traditional drives than those powered by batteries. However, negative attitude towards electric vehicles and the fire risk their batteries can pose are just one reason consumers are avoiding buying an electric car. Other reasons consumers are reluctant to buy electric cars include their higher price compared to their combustion counterparts and the lack of reliable charging infrastructure.
With social media in Korea now abuzz about the safety of electric vehicle batteries, some people are considering reconsidering their upcoming car purchases.
Batteries from China
According to local media reports, the battery in the burned car was manufactured by Chinese company Farasis Energy. It became a partner of Mercedes-Benz in 2018, supplying cells to the German carmaker under an eight-year contract. Mercedes-Benz became a strategic investor in Farasis Energy in 2020.
The number of battery spontaneous combustions is increasing
According to a 2023 report by the Korean National Fire Agency, the number of cars that catch fire has increased every year, both internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles, since at least 2017. It is usually more difficult to extinguish an electric vehicle fire because the temperature of burning lithium-ion batteries is very high and the fire lasts longer than fires in batteries installed in petrol cars.
Most South Koreans live in high-density housing, which means that a large proportion of charging stations are located in the underground garages of buildings. Newly constructed apartments and buildings of a certain size are required by law to install electric vehicle chargers.
After last week’s incident, Song Eonseog, from the ruling party, proposed changes to the law on parking in the country, to ensure greater safety and reduce electric vehicle battery fires.
