South Korea EV explosion sparks charging warning, safety fears
The incident has rattled South Korea’s public at a time when EV sales growth – globally – is slowing. While combustion engine car fires are much more common, negative sentiment towards EVs and the fire risk their batteries may pose adds to some of the other reasons consumers shy away from buying an electric car, including higher upfront costs and lack of reliable charging infrastructure.
“Honestly it’s quite frightening and this will surely be discussed during our regular resident meeting this month,” Wayne Moon, a 37-year-old inhabitant of Gyeonggi, the province surrounding the capital, said by phone. “There’s a need for the country to overhaul everything from fire safety standards, legislation and charging infrastructure to address the risk of EV fires.”
Mercedes-Benz Korea will fully cooperate with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire but declined to comment further, according to a statement.
With social media now abuzz in South Korea over the safety of EV batteries, some people are reconsidering their coming car purchases.
Users of a Tesla Inc. online community chat were debating on Tuesday whether they should cancel their orders, and one EV owner complained that a shipping company had refused to take his car to Jeju Island. Another EV owner said his office building had suspended the use of EV chargers.
03:11
Cheap EV alternative to Tesla and BYD takes off in small-town China
According to a 2023 report from South Korea’s National Fire Agency, the number of cars catching fire has increased every year for both internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs since at least 2017. It’s typically more difficult to put out an EV blaze, however, as lithium-ion battery fires burn hotter and last longer than petrol ones.
Most South Koreans live in high-density apartments, meaning a large portion of charging stations are housed in buildings’ underground garages. Newly constructed apartments and buildings of certain size are legally required to install EV chargers.
Following last week’s incident, Song Eonseog, a lawmaker from the ruling party, has proposed revisions to the country’s Parking Lot Act to ensure better safety and limit EV battery fires.