"I have to spray water for 72 hours..." Helpless electric car fire, urgent need for alternatives

<Anchor>

With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market, more than 300,000 electric vehicles are running on the road in Korea.

However, when an electric vehicle catches fire, it is not easy to extinguish.

Due to the nature of the battery, it cannot be put out with a general fire extinguisher or water, and you have to wait until it burns out.

First, let's talk about reporter Han Sang-woo's report.

<Reporter> When

the electric vehicle is lit, an explosion occurs within 20 minutes and black soot is emitted.

This is a test to find a way to put out an electric car on fire.

As lithium ion, the raw material of the battery, causes a chemical reaction, the ambient temperature suddenly rises to 1,000 degrees.

The problem is that you can't put out this fire with regular water or a fire extinguisher.

The vehicle is completely covered with a special cloth that can withstand temperatures up to 1,200 degrees to prevent air from entering, and then a ball containing a foreign-developed special chemical is thrown underneath.

Enlarging an image

But even then, the fire continues for another 30 minutes.

[Chae Hae-seung / Fire Chief of Gyeongbuk Fire School: (In case of electric vehicle fire) Water has to be continuously sprayed for up to 72 hours, so the amount of water is quite large.

I started researching how to extinguish a fire with the least amount of water as it is now.

(Chemicals) are playing the role of lowering the temperature...

.]

It is an electric car that has been burned down.

Even if the electric car catches fire and the combustion spreads around it, we had no choice but to wait for it to burn out.

There were 23 electric car fires last year, and this year, with three months left, we have already surpassed that number.

When the electric vehicle being charged catches fire, five nearby cars are also on fire, and even if the electric vehicle catches fire at the tunnel entrance, there is no sharp point.

In particular, if an electric vehicle catches fire in an enclosed space such as an underground parking lot or tunnel, it can lead to great damage.

[Lim Chang-rae / Gyeongbuk Fire School Fire Department: When there was a fire in an underground parking lot or a vehicle loaded on a ship, there was almost no way to extinguish it.

Preventing further damage was the most important thing, and we are trying to solve it now.]

(Video coverage: Kim Tae-hoon, Video editing: Lee Seung-jin)

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<Anchor>

Let's talk more with reporter Han Sang-woo.

[Reporter Han Sang-woo: Once an accident occurs, if a strong shock is applied to the battery, it can cause a fire.

In addition, although the cause is not clearly known, there are many cases of fires while charging electric vehicles.

Currently, there are one or two or three fires a month, but as the supply of electric vehicles increases, the number of fires is expected to increase.]

[Reporter Han Sang-woo: Once a fire report is received, the firefighters put out the fire unconditionally, don't they go out with this sense of duty?

However, the fact that there is a fire that cannot be put out at all is quite stressful for firefighters and in some ways it can be shameful.

In addition, until now, when an electric vehicle catches fire, the container tank is filled with water and then the electric vehicle is put into it to turn off the fire.

But, as you saw earlier, the temperature is rising to 1,000 degrees and the flames are soaring, so it's not easy to use this method.

So the fire department is inevitably worried.]

[Reporter Han Sang-woo: That part is also quite worrying. All fire departments across the country have this special cloth and a chemical that lowers the temperature, and you have to use it right away when an electric vehicle catches fire.

These are all imports.

Therefore, the cost burden is not too high.

Also, in this method, it is a little difficult to say that preventing thermal runaway by temporarily lowering the temperature of the lithium-ion battery is a fundamental fire suppression solution.]

[Reporter Han Sang-woo: First, experts find another way to design the vehicle's own structure.

If there is a fire in an electric car right now, the biggest problem is the electric car battery, which is usually placed under the car.

So, when an electric vehicle catches fire, if the battery catches fire, it automatically falls off the vehicle and falls downwards. that you can.

So, it can be seen that the method of using chemicals, including this method, and the method of extinguishing electric vehicle battery fires, including all these, are still being studied.]

(Video coverage: Kim Tae-hoon, video editing: Lee Seung-jin)