EV Era: Experts Urge Education on Electric Vehicle Fire Mitigation

KatadataOTO – Recently, several cases of electric car fires have come under public scrutiny. Within a two-month period, at least two incidents have gone viral in the mass media.

Although still rare, electric car fires have garnered attention from many parties. Especially since some cases occurred in locations like parking areas or on highways.

This deserves attention because electric car fires are different from incidents that might occur in conventional cars.

Electric cars have a power storage component, or battery, which can exacerbate the severity of a fire. Especially if the battery is the main cause, extinguishing it can take much longer.

Photo: Tiktok @officiallambeturah2

So far, the majority of electric car fire cases have not been caused by battery issues. However, handling them still requires extra caution.

Therefore, it is important for firefighters and related parties to have a clear mitigation plan for dealing with electric car fires.

“But perhaps those with less awareness are the first responders, for example, from facility management like parking buildings, malls,” said Mahaendra Gofar, Founder of EVSafe Indonesia to KatadataOTO recently.

He emphasized that the fire department should also have trained all personnel in handling the unique nature of electric car fires.

Especially when the fire occurs in a public place and has the potential to endanger more people.

Mahaendra revealed that EVSafe Indonesia, as an electric car safety training institution, strives to take part through cooperation with property owners.

“We even conduct fire drills with malls like Senayan City and Bintaro Plaza,” Mahaendra revealed.

Electric Car Fire Incidents in the Last Two Months

Towards the end of December, an electric car fire occurred involving one Electric Vehicle (EV) unit while it was charging in a garage.

It is strongly suspected that the safety system for charging the electric car did not meet standards and capacity, causing it to overheat and ignite a fire.

Photo: Tiktok @officiallambeturah2

Then, a high-performance car parked in a workshop area was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Based on EVSafe Indonesia's analysis, the fire started from the rear area, indicating it was caused by the low-voltage electrical system, not the battery.

Lastly, an electric-powered van caught fire on a toll road. However, there is no certainty yet regarding the cause of the incident that occurred on Friday (16/01).