The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Hotels grapple with chronic staff shortages

  • 3

    INTERVIEWMeet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul

  • 5

    Photo of Samsung chief's playful pose goes viral

  • 7

    Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism

  • 9

    K-dramas, beauty, food to maintain popularity on TikTok in 2024

  • 11

    'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story

  • 13

    NYT picks President Yoon, NewJeans among 71 'most stylish' people of 2023

  • 15

    Pro-Palestine protests in Seoul concern Israeli ambassador

  • 17

    Samsung to unveil AI-powered lifestyle vision at CES 2024

  • 19

    LGES, KAIST enable EVs to go 900 km on single charge

  • 2

    'Moon gov't neglected, concealed North's killing of S. Korean official'

  • 4

    Giant panda statue at Everland

  • 6

    Padres' Kim Ha-seong files blackmail complaint against Korean player

  • 8

    CJ Olive Young fined 1.89 bil. won for unfair supply contracts

  • 10

    SK reshuffles top management focusing on generational shift

  • 12

    Major hospitals struggle to recruit pediatricians

  • 14

    INTERVIEW'Now is time for Koreans to unlock potential in Africa'

  • 16

    Lawyer of Korean descent selected as chair of Dentons Global Board

  • 18

    China's Xi warns top EU officials not to engage in 'confrontation'

  • 20

    Yoon vows to expand support for arms industry

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
Sat, December 9, 2023 | 04:10
Companies
EV fires could hinder transition to eco-friendly vehicles
Posted : 2022-07-02 09:38
Updated : 2022-07-02 09:38
Kim Hyun-bin
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
The remnants of an EV after hitting a shock absorber and bursting into flames at the Namhae Expressway toll booth, killing two people in early June. / Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan Police Agency
The remnants of an EV after hitting a shock absorber and bursting into flames at the Namhae Expressway toll booth, killing two people in early June. / Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan Police Agency

By Kim Hyun-bin

Unexpected electric vehicle (EV) fires that have made headlines recently are causing concern that they could hold back the rapid transition to eco-friendly vehicles.

On June 4, a Hyundai IONIQ 5 EV collided with a toll gate and was engulfed in flames within seconds. The driver and a passenger died as they could not escape from the burning car, and it took seven hours to extinguish the fire. On June 24, an unidentified fire occurred in a Tesla Model S at a junkyard in the U.S.

According to data released from the National Fire Agency, the number of EV fire accidents has steadily increased from one case in 2017 to 23 cases last year, as the number of EVs on the road has increased, growing nearly tenfold during the same period.

Firefighters say that EV fires are "a new type of fire that they never encountered before." EV fires do much more damage than the fires caused in an internal combustion engine vehicle. It usually takes more than seven hours to put out an EV fire and the amount of water required to extinguish it is 100 times more than that of an internal combustion engine vehicle.

In the case of the Tesla Model S fire in Texas in April of last year, 106,000 liters of water was used to put out the fire. This figure is the amount of water that an average household will use for about two years.

Experts point to the lithium-ion batteries installed in an EV as the cause. Up to thousands of lithium-ion batteries ― each the size of a finger ― are stacked on top of each other and are usually located at the bottom of the vehicle. As lithium has a very unstable chemical state, the battery temperature rises in an instant when the separator between the anode and cathode of a battery cell is torn due to shocks or heat. If the battery pack is damaged, the internal temperature rises to 800 degrees in an instant.

Concerns about EV fires are growing among consumers as seen in the numerous comments on various social media platforms and in online communities, with many believing that it is not yet the right time to purchase an electric car.


Emailhyunbin@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
LG group
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism
2Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game
3Will Korea avoid hard landing in housing market? Will Korea avoid hard landing in housing market?
4Why Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sitesWhy Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sites
5[INTERVIEW] Ex-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency INTERVIEWEx-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency
6Seoul awards honorary citizenship to outstanding foreign residentsSeoul awards honorary citizenship to outstanding foreign residents
7‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation
8K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades
9Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser
10Hanwha signs $2.4 bil. deal to export infantry fighting vehicles to Australia Hanwha signs $2.4 bil. deal to export infantry fighting vehicles to Australia
Top 5 Entertainment News
1‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation
2[REVIEW] Musical 'Monte Cristo' returns with riveting tale of vengeance, love REVIEWMusical 'Monte Cristo' returns with riveting tale of vengeance, love
3K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades
4[INTERVIEW] Meet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul INTERVIEWMeet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul
5'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story 'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story
DARKROOM
  • It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

    2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

  • Appreciation of autumn colors

    Appreciation of autumn colors

  • Our children deserve better

    Our children deserve better

  • Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

    Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel: 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844
Date of registration: 2020.02.05
Masthead: The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group