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An Ontario ferry operator’s decision to ban recalled Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid vehicles from its ferries highlights the potential fire risk posed by electric vehicles — and some experts say governments and companies need to do more to set safety standards for their use and storage.
George Iny, president of the Automobile Protection Association, said the risk of electric vehicle fires appears low and automakers are responsive to problems that arise.
But once an electric vehicle fire occurs, it is difficult to extinguish with traditional firefighting equipment.
Ini said fire does not require external oxygen, so water cannot put it out.
All it can do is cool the fire below combustion temperature, but putting it out would require at least 10 times the amount of water needed to put out a gasoline-powered car fire, he said.
“I was shocked when APA Consumer told us that there was, in fact, no specific guidance for ferries to date,” Iny said.
“Ferry boats have been in service for decades. They have fire suppression systems. Those were developed for gasoline vehicles, not for electric vehicles.”
He added that ferry operators must develop their own safety protocols, such as not being allowed to operate vehicles that are being recalled.
Ferry companies ban certain Chrysler minivan hybrids
Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC) operates the Pelee Island Ferry in southwestern Ontario, the MS Chi-Cheemaun serving Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, and the MV Niska 1 to Moose Factory Island near James Bay.
Operators Ban on 2017 to 2021 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid models Until the automakers complete their service recalls.
But Ini said ferry operators weren’t the only ones who should be paying close attention to the safety of electric vehicles.
Building owners looking to install chargers in parking lots and parking garages should also consider how to extinguish a fire if one occurs.
Keven Lefebvre, a board member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, said Canada needs a national fire authority to advise departments on how to develop safety standards for the technology.
“My first question is, ‘Why are electric cars on the road before the safety measures are in place?'” asked Lefevre, a fire chief and electrician in Leduc County, Alberta.
Lithium-ion batteries are now ubiquitous, he said, from electric toothbrushes to electric delivery trucks.
“They were almost exploding.”
“In the case of overcharging, they can overheat,” he said.
“It’s not a slow, sudden smoke-and-then-fire situation. They almost explode, and … we don’t really have the right products to deal with lithium-ion battery fires.”
Lefevre said he saw a fire break out in an electric car that was parked next to a pile of wood pallets.
“It’s not a good practice. … But there is no requirement for spatial separation.”
There are also no rules prohibiting people from parking e-bikes in the corridors of apartment buildings, he added.
“They’ve trapped themselves at the only exit. So it’s becoming a problem,” he said.
Lefevre said automakers’ engineers are working to develop car systems that can extinguish fires on the spot.
“In the future every car may have this technology, but someone has to stand up and say, ‘This is a code requirement in our code.’”
Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Co. not planning to ban any electric vehicles
Cara Clairman, president and CEO of Plug’n Drive, a nonprofit electric vehicle education organization, said an electric vehicle fire could be contained using a fire blanket.
Kleinman acknowledged that these fires are more difficult to extinguish than internal combustion engine fires, but she added that they need to be judged in context.
Electric vehicle fires occur frequently Less commonshe says.
“So it seems to be out of proportion to people’s concerns.”
The CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Company, which operates the underground passage between the southwestern Ontario city of Windsor and Detroit, says the company has procedures in place to respond to electric vehicle fires.
“The first priority is to clean up the area and remove the electric vehicles from the tunnel,” Tal Zudner said.
He said the tunnel company had not yet dealt with an electric car on fire, but it had the vehicles to remove it from the tunnel.
“At the moment, we don’t have any policy in place to restrict electric vehicles from going through the tunnel,” he said.
“We believe that it is still safe for electric vehicles to travel through the tunnel.”
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