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Cool Down The Electric Car That Is On Fire – Firefighter Feats

ByMatsumoto Naoki-December 23, 2020

Electric cars are new in the race, and thus they are the trendy ones. Like petrol or gas based cars, people prefer electric cars too. They have their own advantages over petrol cars, and the convenience makes car buyers try the trendy approach – the electric car. Unfortunately, these cars are not an exception to fire, and the battery used to run the car catches fire often. Sometimes, the driver goes safe in case of an accident, but the battery does not react well and catches fire. Today, we are going to tell you how firefighters put the fire off from an electric car.

What Is The Electric Car?

Before proceeding any further, let’s get to know a bit about the electric car concept.  So, an electric car looks like just any regular car you see running on the streets. It is the heart of the vehicle that makes the difference. As a petrol car uses a piston engine, the electric car uses the massive battery. The battery acts as storage that stores the power to drive the car for a specific distance.

With an electric car, you don’t have to be in the queue at those gas stations. The battery needs the power to run the car, and so you can plug the vehicle overnight in your home, and you are done. All remaining things, such as the steering wheel, brake, or the accelerator, remain the same.

It is the heart of the vehicle that makes the difference (Photo Source: pixabay)

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The electric car does not need you to fill the fuel as there is no tank for the purpose. Instead, you can charge the vehicle at any electric car station. The advantage with the approach is the budget-friendliness as charging the battery needs fewer bucks than fueling the car. There are electric vehicles that are hybrid too. It means the vehicle acts as both a gasoline or diesel engine and an electric car.

The Process Of Treating An Electric Car’s Battery That Is On Fire

As the trend of electric cars is at the peak, the concept of car chargers is revolutionizing all around. As the electric cars are not an exception to catching fire, the department of firefighters is on the charge. The fire industry has been adapting the change to be more alert than ever. The cases of electric cars catching fire come to record, and thus, the fire protection industry stays on the move.

Fighting with the fire of an electric car is kind of new thing to the firefighters. However, it is not rocket science that can’t be handled. As the lithium-ion batteries start to release some toxic gases when on fire, the crew needs an extra level of protection, and that is the breathing apparatuses. Additionally, in their professional dress up, these people take help of water.  Putting the fire off needs a huge amount of water continuously until the intensity gets dim or off completely.

Fighting with the fire of an electric car is kind of new thing to the firefighters (Photo Source: goodhousekeeping)

The Solution

So as a solution to the fire off electric cars, water is the main element that comes as the most helpful. All other inspections and usage of other materials come afterward.  The purpose here remains to cool down the battery and stop the release of the toxic gases like sulfuric acid, nickel, lithium, and copper and cobalt. Drive your vehicle better the next time by getting the driving tips.

Other than just water, the modern days make the fire departments to use something more efficient. They use some kind of dry chemicals that work better than the simple form of H2O. In electric cars, however, the fire extinguishing process remains ineffective with any of the substances. Hence, the firefighters always use water as a source for taking down the flames.

To a Lithium-ion fire, water remains the best when used in large doses instead of the sprinkling technique.

The purpose here remains to cool down the battery and stop the release of the toxic gases (Photo Source: teslarevolution)

Conclusion

This is how the firefighters put the fire off the battery of the electric car. The buyer should always consider all the aspects before deciding on the electric car. Make sure there are enough charging stations for your car in your country or the region you live in. Also, consider the factor that electric cars cover less distance than petrol car as they need to be charged.

Matsumoto Naoki is senior car blogger at Car From Japan. Having background in mechanical engineering, he has a unique perspective on a lot of new car innovations. Prior to Car From Japan, Matsumoto was Mechanical Design Engineer at Yajima Plant, Subaru Corporation. His articles provide detailed DIY instructions and how-tos to help you get your new car on the road. If you want to save money and feel more confident when working on your cars, you should not ignore Matsumoto’s sharing posts. He presents driving tips and tricks for everyone through easy-following steps and mechanically but friendly writing.

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