Gov't, ruling party call for mandating disclosing battery brand information of electric vehicles

An electric Mercedes-Benz sedan is being transported from the underground parking lot of an apartment building in Incheon, where it exploded, Aug. 5. Yonhap

The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Sunday to introduce a system mandating automakers to disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles (EVs).

During a meeting between senior government officials and PPP officials, the two sides also agreed to launch at an early date a system mandating automakers to get government certification on the safety of the batteries for their EV models.

The move comes amid safety concerns triggered by a fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle on Aug. 1, which destroyed a parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, while either completely destroying or damaging over 100 cars.

Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 kilometers south of Seoul.

Automakers have voluntarily released the information of battery brands used in their electric vehicles following the incident. (Yonhap)