"Huge Fire Sparked by a Mercedes-Benz EV Adds to Safety Concerns Dogging Industry" - WSJ article

[Tooney]

Blaze in South Korea prompts debate over whether electric vehicles should be allowed in the country’s ubiquitous underground parking lots

SEOUL—It took just seconds for an underground South Korean residential parking lot to be engulfed in flames. The culprit: a Mercedes-Benz EQE electric vehicle that hadn’t been charging.
The blaze incinerated dozens of cars nearby, scorched another 100 vehicles and forced hundreds of residents to emergency shelters as the buildings above the parking lot lost power and electricity. Nobody died, but the fire took eight hours to extinguish.
The blaze dominated national news in South Korea. Some organizations are pushing for EVs to be parked outdoors, residents are protesting and lawmakers are proposing new safety measures.

https://archive.is/Yu5UB#selection-5639.0-5639.80

 

[kort]

did not read, but I think that it is safe to assume that this is just anti EV propaganda.
recently a in a home near where I live a garage housing and EV caught fire and the media was quick to place blame on the EV. after the subsequent investigation it was determined that a charging golf cart was the cause of the fire. retractions were never issued.


https://www.google.com/search?q=noc...Y7uOHoQ8NMDegQIBBAW&biw=1699&bih=555&dpr=2.03

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

did not read, but I think that it is safe to assume that this is just anti EV propaganda.
recently a in a home near where I live a garage housing and EV caught fire and the media was quick to place blame on the EV. after the subsequent investigation it was determined that a charging golf cart was the cause of the fire. retractions were never issued.


https://www.google.com/search?q=noc...Y7uOHoQ8NMDegQIBBAW&biw=1699&bih=555&dpr=2.03

So.. a different EV caused the fire?

 

[azraeil]

did not read, but I think that it is safe to assume that this is just anti EV propaganda.
recently a in a home near where I live a garage housing and EV caught fire and the media was quick to place blame on the EV. after the subsequent investigation it was determined that a charging golf cart was the cause of the fire. retractions were never issued.


https://www.google.com/search?q=noc...Y7uOHoQ8NMDegQIBBAW&biw=1699&bih=555&dpr=2.03

Unfortunately the fire that happened in the basement parking in Korea was caught on CCTV and it showed the Merc self combust and started a floor wide fire involving 127 cars. Apparently the EQE was using a 2nd tier battery company called Farasis Energy and not those 1st Tier battery companies like BYD, LG, CATL, Panasonic etc etc. This is just bad luck and it does make EV looks bad.

 

[Tooney]

South Koreans hit the brakes on EVs after battery fires

On August 1, a Mercedes-Benz EV caught fire in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in the city of Incheon. It took firefighters more than eight hours to extinguish the blaze. Twenty-three people required hospital treatment, around 140 vehicles were damaged, and 1,600 homes were affected by electricity and water outages for a week.

In separate incident several days later, a Kia EV6 burned out in a parking tower in South Chungcheong Province, with the blaze lasting more than 90 minutes before it could be brought under control.

The cause of both fires is believed to have been the vehicles' batteries.
. . .
Much of the public concern is focused on the Chinese-made batteries that many auto manufacturers now use in their vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz that caught fire in Incheon was fitted with a battery made by Farasis Energy, a little-known Chinese company.
. . .
Some carmakers have also responded to the public outcry by offering free inspections of electric vehicles, while others are attempting to overcome "EV phobia" by reducing prices.

The Korea Times reported that Audi Korea has cut the price of an Audi e-tron 55 quattro by more than 29% and by 24.5% for other models. BMW Korea is reducing the price of its iX xDrive 50 EV sedan by 12.9% and the i7 xDrive 60 by 12.7%.