There’s a reason that electric vehicles (EV) in salvage yards are kept by themselves and spaced far apart. Their lithium-ion batteries can hold a lot of energy, and if one catches fire, it’s sometimes hard for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
Even if the fire appears to be out, it can reignite later, said Randy Bewley, a researcher in Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Battery Test Center. Bewley presented at an EV battery workshop in late September for firefighters from four eastern Idaho fire departments.
Should a battery catch fire, currently the best outcome any firefighter can achieve is keeping it from destroying nearby property.
“There’s no way to stop it until the chemical energy is released,” Bewley said. “The only thing you currently can do is hit it with a lot of water in hopes of containing it.”
A good fire blanket can help as well, but the main concern should be keeping the fire from spreading — especially to other EVs.
As more EVs hit the road, the likelihood of accidents involving them will increase. While firefighters have extinguished internal combustion vehicle blazes for decades, there is currently no effective flame suppressant or retardant that will put out a lithium-ion battery fire.
‘Stranded energy’
In the fall of 2024, hurricanes Helene and Milton emphasized the need for more education around EV fires. Following Helene, Florida officials issued a warning to residents and first responders about the fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries inundated with seawater. In a prepared statement posted online, Florida officials confirmed 11 lithium-ion battery fires related to Helene’s storm surge involved EVs. Others were related to consumer items, such as scooters, hoverboards, golf carts and children’s toys.
The workshop at INL was organized to cover several topics, including:
· Differences between EVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and internal combustion engine vehicles and how they can impact firefighters’ interventions.
· Characteristics of EV batteries and potential issues related to defects, accidents, misuse or flooding.
· Strategies for handling battery fires and stranded energy.
So far, no EV fires have been reported in eastern Idaho. Some of the 13 firefighters at the INL workshop said they’d seen battery fires involving power tools and toys, but only one said he’d been involved with an EV fire. Before joining the Madison Fire Department four years ago, training officer Andrew Sharp said he helped contain a Tesla fire in California. “We had to clear all the exposures and let it burn,” he said. “That’s all we could do.”
INL’s history of battery research
INL has been involved in battery and electric vehicle research for the U.S. Department of Energy since the mid-1980s. Researchers in the Battery Test Center have done thousands of tests and gathered extensive data on performance, life and safety of lithium-ion batteries.
INL conducts extensive failure mode analysis and develops various diagnostic and prognostic technologies aimed at creating safer, longer-lasting batteries, said Tanvir Tanim, a senior staff scientist in INL’s Energy Storage and Electric Transportation Department.
After the seawater from Hurricane Ian in 2022 compromised the batteries of as many as 5,000 EVs, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked INL engineers to conduct teardown research on ten of the cars to understand the impacts of flooding on their batteries. The initial findings can be found here.
To continue their research, Tanim and his colleagues are building an EV/battery immersion test facility at INL’s Central Facilities Area. With the work almost complete, Tanim said they hope by next summer to start conducting full-scale immersion tests to better identify the root causes of flood-induced battery problems. Click here for the story.
Most EV batteries are made by reputable manufacturers and pose little danger of suddenly catching fire due to flaws in the manufacturing process, though there have been recalls related to battery fires in recent years. It’s when they are compromised, damaged or punctured that they become dangerous. “If you damage a cell, it will react,” Bewley said.
Documenting the data
The U.S. Fire Administration is creating a document from all the information it has gathered from subject matter experts on responding to EV fires. However, a deeper understanding of safety issues related to EV and battery emergency response is still needed, and standardized protocols must be developed to address these challenges. “There are no sure protocols,” Bewley said. “Lots of information is being shared on YouTube.”
Bewley advised the participants at the workshop to gather every emergency response guide for every model of EV on the road and study them. Every EV has a “cutline” for disconnecting the battery from an EV’s power converting module, but the location varies from model to model. An EV battery typically carries 400 volts, and some newer vehicles are looking at a higher voltage battery pack design, so its direct current can be lethal.
“It’s going to be on you guys to learn these vehicles,” Bewley said. “You need to be mindful of the fact that there is a lot of energy in those batteries. A fully charged 100 kilowatt-hour battery can generate 1072 horsepower for seven minutes.”
Even if there hasn’t been a fire, taking a damaged EV or hybrid vehicle to a salvage yard has its challenges. In many models, the drive wheels charge the battery (via regenerative braking), so the vehicle must be loaded onto a flatbed or dolly to prevent overcharging. There are currently no regulations governing EV battery disposal or resale. If someone wants to replace the battery in their Tesla, there’s no certification process governing batteries retrieved at salvage yards.
Challenges for responders break down into four areas: personal safety, public safety, rescue and safety for those involved, and understanding the hazards. “In the future, this may get more complicated,” Bewley said. “Understanding is going to come with time.”
Following the presentations and discussions, participants went outside to look over five research EVs owned by INL: a Nissan Leaf, three Teslas and a Ford Lightning pickup truck. This offered a deeper understanding of EV technologies and the differences from model to model to better prepare participants for managing emergency situations.
