The Malaysian fire and rescue department (Bomba) has recorded 27 cases of fires involving EVs and hybrids from 2023 to July this year, with an annual average of 10 cases, The Edge reports, citing Bernama.
“Bomba considers EV fires one of the biggest challenges due to the high level of risk during firefighting operations. The use of fire blankets is among the most effective methods for extinguishing EV fires, in addition to water and foam,” housing and local government deputy minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said today in the Dewan Negara.
Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim had asked if there were plans to supply fire blankets to fire stations in major cities following the recent increase in EV and hybrid fire incidents. Aiman Athirah said 318 fire blankets worth RM915,000 have been procured this year for distribution to selected fire stations nationwide.
“In addition, the department also received 30 units of fire blankets from the Malaysia Zero Emission Vehicle Association (MyZEVA), which had been distributed in stages starting December 2024 until May 13 this year,” she said, adding that cooling agents and immersion containers are among the alternative equipment being studied by Bomba to fight EV fires.
“Currently, the cooling agent used by the department to extinguish fire on EVs is water, which aims to reduce the heat level of the battery and thus prevent the fire from becoming larger and spreading to other areas.
“The use of other cooling agents such as dry powder, clean agent and inert gas is not suitable for use in open areas because it requires the concept of total flooding to function effectively,” she explained.
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Headlines are meant to cause or reinforce that fear that “EVs catch fire”.
The truth is EVs are 20x or more times less likely to catch fire compared to ICE. EV fires are less likely to be fatal. This is adjusted for age of vehicle (common argument is ya lah ICE cars so old of course catch fire, EV all new) and is on a fire per 100,000km travelled basis.
Yes EV fires are harder to put out because of thermal runaway but in summary they are less likely and you are more likely to walk away from a EV fire than in an ICE vehicle
in your dream. U r more prone to death in EV fire. just go and read China daily news for that. so Dreaming and misleading others. let other protect their own and family lifes instead of selling the ev shi it. EV is going down trend recently. haven rise enough and the fall is at sight now.
okla, as long as no one died, it is still relatively safe.
Because of the additional costs to put out fire of burning EV cars, the fire dept should raise a claim on each fire case to the respective insurance companies. Will they pay out?
Would be nice to have some specifics.
still a bit higher in terms of percentage, when compared to ICE vehicles, which in 2023 has 3592catching fire (Bomba calls received) . 2024 data hasnt been released.
Even adjusting for age….
The most frequently cited and rigorous analysis comes from AutoinsuranceEZ. They compiled data from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and government recall databases for 2021.
Their key finding, which attempts to control for fleet size and age, is a fire rate per 100,000 vehicles sold:
Hybrid Vehicles: 3,474 fires
Gas Vehicles: 1,529 fires
Electric Vehicles: 25 fires
Why this is considered “adjusted”: Using “per 100,000 sold” instead of “per 100,000 on the road” partially accounts for the fact that the EV fleet is newer. It measures the fire incident rate against a cohort of vehicles from a similar time period, rather than comparing a new EV to a 15-year-old ICE car.
Conclusion from this data: Even when using a metric that favors a fair comparison, gas vehicles catch fire at a rate over 60 times higher than EVs, and hybrids are the most prone.
Ok, if 1 catches fire in people house lot. chances are, it will bring down together your home or maybe you and some family members. because? it is persistant and you? cant put it out on time with conventional method. see? everythig fall apart until the help arrived and? the help always arrived late. you can dodge the bullet 1000times and survive. you only need 1 to fall and die.
Burn Your Duit