A car transporter carrying electric vehicles caught fire, causing the seven electric vehicles (EVs) to go into thermal runaway and ignite.
The fire occurred on the M1 motorway in England between junctions 26 and 27 on 5 December. Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue said no other vehicles were involved and there were no injuries.
Both carriageways were closed and there was a large smoke plume.
Professor Paul Christensen, consultant on lithium-ion battery safety and director of lithium-ion safety, said on his LinkedIn page that spontaneous incidents involving EVs are a tiny fraction of those involving ICEVs.
“But incidents such as this where the EV is not responsible for the incident but adds significantly to the risks and hazards will become more frequent as the number of EVs on our roads increases.
“If the cars had been internal combustion engine vehicles, the fire would have been controlled far more quickly. The hazards from EVs are different and our FRS urgently need the correct training, PPE and equipment to deal with incidents involving them.”
Statistics compiled by AutoInsuranceEZ found that for every 100,000 EVs sold, there are about 25 fires. That compares to 1,530 car fires per 100,000 petrol-powered vehicles sold. Petrol-powered cars typically catch fire due to fuel leaks or crashes. EVs aren’t as common on the roads as petrol-powered vehicles.
See the burning cars: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YWh99VZtO7E