Electric car fire
Austrian fire brigade outfitter develops extinguishing system for electric cars
A new extinguishing system should be able to extinguish burning electric cars more efficiently (symbol photo)
© Rosenbauer
An Austrian fire brigade supplier has developed a new extinguishing system for electric cars that have caught fire. It should enable the fire to be extinguished quickly and safely. The extinguishing system will be available from the beginning of next year.
A burning electric car is usually not as easy to extinguish as a vehicle with a different type of drive. On the one hand, the built-in high-voltage batteries are difficult to access, and on the other hand, such a fire is persistent.
According to the manufacturer, the new extinguishing system from the Austrian developer Rosenbauer enables the vehicle batteries to be cooled directly and prevents chain reactions in the cells. For this purpose, the emergency services position the system – consisting of an extinguishing unit and an operating unit – on the battery and can dispense the extinguishing water onto the fire area while maintaining a safe distance.
The battery housing is filled with extinguishing water and then cooled. When the fire vehicle is then transported away, it can be further extinguished with the help of the extinguishing system if necessary.
Electric car fire requires more complex extinguishing work
The risk of fire with an electric car is no higher than with a car with a different type of drive. However, if an electric car with a lithium-ion battery catches fire, this poses a particular challenge for the fire brigade. High-voltage batteries are usually housed in a largely waterproof housing; The fire can only be extinguished when the extinguishing water reaches the inside of the battery. It is also hardly possible to cool the battery from the outside due to its insulation.
In addition, a lithium-ion battery can continue to burn despite extinguishing measures, whereas a fire in a car with a different drive type can be extinguished. In order to cool the lithium-ion battery and finally to extinguish the fire, a significantly larger amount of water is required than with other cars.
Developers promise efficient extinguishing system
Special extinguishing systems for electric cars already exist on the market. The international fire brigade outfitter Rosenbauer, which produces vehicles and extinguishing technology, among other things, promises with its system a “resource-saving” extinguishing measure and at the same time a reduction in the “spread of smoke gases”.
According to the Austrian company, the extinguishing system has been in use by fire departments in Europe for months. This showed that it was “compatible with the existing resources and tactics”. The extinguishing system should be available in early 2022.