The most striking case scared consumers. The The Japan Times reports that the electric vehicle caught fire without being connected to the charging station. We are in Incheon, west of Seoul: about 700 residents in the complex were evacuated due to the interruption of electricity and water supplies, while about twenty residents were forced to hospitalize due to smoke inhalation. According to some sources, many office buildings have banned the entry of EVs in underground parking lots. What is frightening is that the car caught fire “by itself”, for no reason: the police confirmed that the vehicle did not receive any external “shock” before it caught fire. It had been parked there for three days. The cameras, writes the Yonhap news agency, reportedly showed smoke coming out of the car shortly before it suddenly exploded.
Following these events, the South Korean policy makers met to consider measures to increase the safety of battery-powered cars, including the possibility of requiring manufacturers to disclose the brands of batteries used in their vehicles. At this meeting, chaired by the Deputy Minister of the Environment and attended by representatives of the ministries of transport and industry, as well as the National Fire Agency, it was agreed to introduce new regulations coming soon.
The automotive industry, as reported Reutershas begun to comply with these new demands for transparency. Hyundai Motor Co, for example, has published the battery manufacturers for 13 models, including three Genesis models, on its website. However, some experts believe that mere disclosure is not enough to prevent The firessuggesting instead that each brand of battery be certified for fire risks.
A study on the frequency of fires in underground parking lots in South Korea, during the decade 2013-2022, revealed 1,399 fires, 43.7% of which were caused by vehicles and, of these, 53% by electrical sources. These data highlight the urgent need to address the risks associated with electric vehicles, especially given the country’s population density and the common presence of underground parking.