As electric cars become more popular, safety education must be intensified.

KatadataOTO – Recently, cases of electric cars catching fire have become a topic of discussion among internet users. This is because in the span of a few months, there have been at least two incidents.

One of them occurred in a home garage area. At that time, the electric car was parked and being charged.

The fire was exacerbated by the many flammable items around the garage, such as paint and thinner.

However, it should be noted that so far, incidents of electric cars catching fire are often triggered by external factors, not battery issues as feared by most people.

Photo: Tiktok @officiallambeturah2

Considering that electric car fires caused by the battery require a long handling time and are considered more fatal.

The time to extinguish the fire is also longer, and there is still a potential for the fire to reignite due to the contents of the battery.

Observers assess that the latest electric cars are considered safe and meet the manufacturer's safety standards. 

However, unit owners need to pay attention to other factors such as changes or modifications, especially to electrical components. Then ensure the charging equipment used is in accordance with the manufacturer's directions.

“The hope is that safety awareness about electric cars can be widely spread and misinformation can be suppressed,” said Mahaendra Gofar, Founder of EVSafe Indonesia when contacted by KatadataOTO recently.

A lack of understanding about the causes of electric car fires can trigger fear. In the end, this impacts the decline of the Electric Vehicle (EV) trend.

“Perhaps because (the presence of electric cars) is new and unique. So every time an incident occurs, it immediately goes viral,” said Mahaendra.

Therefore, education on electric car safety must be carried out as the EV population in the country grows.

Then, related parties such as electric car technicians must obtain official certification from the manufacturer.

“To handle electric car repairs, the training and certification must be clear. So the handling process can also be accountable,” Mahaendra affirmed.

Photo: Antara

For your information, the incident of an electric car catching fire while charging in Penjaringan some time ago is believed to have been triggered by a short circuit in the charging equipment.

EVSafe Indonesia's analysis assesses that the Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) on that electric car charger did not have the appropriate capacity.

As a result, the component that should have functioned as a safety feature instead became a source of fatal danger.