Vast Mercedes EV Fire Raises Worry About Safety
A large residential parking area was essentially burned after a Mercedes EV caught fire in South Korea. The catastrophe raises questions about the danger of parking EVs near places occupied most of the day by humans, particularly where they could be trapped.
According to The Wall Street Journal, “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.”
This fire was not unique. Last month, an Amazon Rivian delivery truck caught fire. It was not the first time a Rivian van had the problem.
Another Rivian caught fire at an Electrify America charging station, and the fire was widely covered in the press.
In April 2023, a Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire. CNBC states, “New video footage of a fire involving a Ford F-150 Lightning this year highlights a growing concern around electric vehicles: volatile fires from the batteries that power them.” Ford has backed away from EV ambitions to build more gas-powered pickups.
Fire risk is another challenge for the EV industry, in addition to the range, the number of charging stations, and the high cost of new vehicles. Cheap EVs may save the industry.
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