As EV adoption rises, Korea calls for enhanced fire safety guidelines and failure analysis to determine cause of battery fire

Earlier this month, the Korea Automobile Journalists Association (KAJA) organised a symposium on the topic of "Expanding Electric Vehicle Supply and Ensuring Safety" at the Jeju International Convention Center. 

The event featured the active involvement of experts from various sectors of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, who delivered presentations, participated in panel discussions, and engaged in Q&A sessions.

In a report by The Korea Herald, experts are urging policymakers and industry leaders to take immediate action to prevent electric vehicle (EV) batteries from catching fire, as global sales of EVs continue to surge.

Recent data in Korea reveals that fire-prone batteries accounted for 12 percent of the 130 recalls issued since 2018, while software malfunctions comprised the largest share at 43 percent.

Also read: EV battery scratched during accident? Insurance may consider it a total loss

Seok Ju-sik, vice president at the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute, suggested mandating pre-approval for certain components, as the current self-certification system lacks such requirements.

Baek Chang-in, the director of Hyundai Motor Company's Integrated Safety Development Office, discussed the company's approach to battery fire safety. He stated that Hyundai conducts individual module and system unit tests to verify the safety of electric vehicle batteries, considering various scenarios related to fires.

Baek noted that they continuously review and update their development standards based on statistical data gathered from domestic and international sources. This data helps them analyse the causes of fires resulting from electric vehicle collisions, enabling them to incorporate improvements into their product development process from an early stage.

Lee Gwang-beom, an advisor at Shin & Kim law firm, emphasised the need for stricter scrutiny due to the direct link between battery fires and consumer safety. Identifying the root causes of these fires is challenging, as the battery cells melt down, and multiple manufacturers at different levels may be responsible for supplying faulty components.

Also read: ICE cars have 4x higher fire risk than EVs but fire fighters say EV fires are more dangerous, here's why

Industry insiders also stressed the responsibility of battery manufacturers, highlighting that most fires originate from overheated battery cells. They called for the development of efficient countermeasures, such as using compressed air to extinguish fires.

Experts also recommended regulating underground standard chargers to limit EV charging to 80-90 percent, as some fully charged EVs parked on such chargers have been reported to catch fire.

Also read: Fire risk of underground EV charging facilities - UK, Korea, Singapore raise concern