As the world edges towards a greener future, the risk of EV fires and thermal runaways from lithium-ion batteries will increase and experts want safety standards regulated.
According to Australian firm EV FireSafe, from 2010 to 2023, Australia had six electric vehicle fires. Over the recorded EV fires during this period, none of the fires started in the batteries.
This compares to widespread reporting of more than a thousand Lithium Ion fires caused this year in Australia by batteries in all applications, including e-scooters and small electronic devices.
Earlier this year, Fire and Rescue New South Wales also recorded the first deaths in a fire caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery.
Fire Service Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell highlighted the first deaths from thermal runaways as a warning to the community.
“This appears to be what we have been fearing for a while now: a person or persons dying due to a lithium-ion battery-related fire in this state,” Fewtrell says.
“We continue to warn the community about the potential for these batteries to explode in flames.”
The accident was an indication of the dangers posed by the kind of rechargeable batteries that power everything from the phone in your pocket to electric cars, and our increasingly green power grid.
Lithium-ion batteries can be found in e-scooters, forklifts, power tools, laptops and tablets, camping and gardening equipment, and a host of other home, office and industrial items.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says that by 2026 households will have on average 33 devices powered by such batteries.
The growing fire risk has government, fire services and the insurance industry paying close attention.
The batteries’ strongest attribute is also what makes them potentially dangerous. Lithium ions allow for the storage of large amounts of energy in a relatively small area, but the liquid electrolyte in which they are held is highly volatile and flammable, and in producing power the batteries also generate heat.
Energy Systems Research Group at the University of NSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, Matthew Priestley, says an overheating lithium-ion battery can succumb to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway.
“In this process, the excessive heat promotes the chemical reaction that makes the battery work, thus creating even more heat and ever more chemical reactions in a disastrous spiral,” Priestley says.
Batteries that are not stored properly, or are overcharged due to misuse or faults can explode into self-sustaining fires that burn up to 400 degrees within seconds and are hard to extinguish. The batteries can also release toxic fumes.
“These fires are extremely intense and volatile,” Fewtrell says.
“Even our firefighters find putting them out challenging because they burn so hot.”
“The Government needs to step in to regulate this area and develop a safety standard to which e-mobility devices should be constructed, but there has been slow progress on this. This is part of the reason why there have been so many e-mobility fires in Australia to date,” Priestley says.
READ MORE: Are electric vehicle battery fires more common than petrol vehicles? Experts say no
In October the ACC released a report noting that the fires were increasing but existing data was incomplete and often inspecific to the breadth of the problem.
But it did note that between April 2017 and March 2023, the ACCC received 231 product safety reports relating to Li-ion batteries.
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The ACCC also identified a sixfold increase in media reports relating to Li-ion battery incidents between February 2021 and February 2023 and 23 recalls between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022 affecting an estimated 89,000 products on the market.
The ACCC provided a list of recommendations for consumers to follow to help protect their safety:
- monitor charging times of Li-ion products and disconnect products from chargers once they are fully charged (consider setting timers as a reminder to unplug devices)
- do not use batteries or devices if products are overheating or showing signs of failure such as swelling, leaking or venting gas. In these cases, place leaking or damaged batteries in a clear plastic bag (after they have cooled down) and contact your local council for disposal options
- ensure the charger is suitable for the battery in the product being charged
- charge batteries and devices away from combustible materials (such as beds, sofas or carpet)
- store batteries and Li-ion products such as e-scooters in cool, dry places and out of direct sunlight, including while charging
- allow time for batteries to cool down after use and before recharging.