New extinguisher addresses unique challenges of fighting EV fires
And, impressively, it can pump water directly into the battery
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
Also tagged with
Related Articles
More TNW
About TNW
Yes, lithium-ion batteries are flammable
The issue is the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs up. They store a huge amount of energy in a very small space.
As ProfessorPaul Christensen from the University of Newcastle explained toAir Quality News, “if the battery is exposed to excessive heat, or there is a penetration in the battery case, then you get an internal short circuit.”
Simply put, this short circuit causes excessive heat, which in turn causes a chemical reaction that generates more heat, making the chemical reaction to develop even faster, which results in more heat — a vicious circle.
This process is called “thermal runaway” and it’s basically what’s generating EV fires.
Four reasons why EV battery fires present a unique challenge
Rosenbauer’s solution
The company’s system consists of two parts: an extinguishing unit and a control unit.
The extinguisher can be placed under the vehicle, on the top, or even in the interior to best access the battery. Notably, the extinguisher pumps waterdirectlyinto the battery, which, as the company notes, makes the cooling process faster and more efficient.
This, in turn, reduces both the amount of water required andthe amount of harmful smoke and gases released along the way.
The extinguisher is connected to the control unit, operated by firefighters at a safe distance, 7.6 meters away from the vehicle.
And here’s another plus: once the fire has been put out, the extinguishing unit can be left attached to the car during transport. So in case of reignition, the system is already in place and can reduce response time.
Having completed testing in various battery designs (pouch, prismatic, and round cells), Rosenbauer will move into production. Fire brigades can pre-order the system now and units will arrive in early 2022.
The EV roll out means batteries fires are not going away
Personally, I expect more similar solutions to emerge as the number of electric cars on the road is increasing. Until then, training emergency respondents on the complexities EV fires present is also a necessary step we need to take.
