The Jaguar I Pace shown in the video below these lines started burning without any accident No apparent cause while he was charging in his garage, in the USA. This is the fourth known fire involving an I-Pace.
This fact reopens the controversy of the electric car, which have suffered various fires since their sales have increased. It’s not a common occurrence, but the million dollar question is: why can catch fire an electric vehicle?
Causes of Spontaneous Fires
The main making up present in most electrical appliances on the market is the lithium ion battery, composed by small individual cells where electricity is stored
These cells are made up of two electrodes (anode and cathode) and lithium salt, a liquid electrolyte very conductive and necessary for this pass the energy from one electrode to the other.
It has been accomplished different studies on possible causes that cause these fires. And no clear conclusions have been drawn, although several clues are offered.
To start, most fires occur when the electrical system is on, either in operation, or, when it operates in the opposite direction, that is to say in recharging. But Spontaneous combustion can also occur when the car is parked and turned off.
In such a battery, the lithium can degrade and trigger a process that brings the anode and the cathode into contact, generate a short circuit. The flammable gases then begin a combustion process. Moreover, it is not about conventional combustion and that’s why it’s so hard to let go afterwards.
Electric cars: fire without oxygen
And it is that if in a traditional combustion there must be fuel and oxidant (normally oxygen), a battery can burn without oxygen, because it contains enough gas to generate an explosion and subsequent fire.
Many factors can also influence the eventual fire of a battery of this type. To start, the outside temperature. If it is summer and it is very hot, you have to be particularly careful.
Although the main danger is represented by the fast chargers, They use direct current and operate at a higher power. This subjects the system to very high temperatures, which eventually to be dangerous, even with the preheating done by many electric cars.
He is preheating This is another of the causes by which a fire can be generated. Generally, high-end electrical appliances (such as Tesla and other brands prime) generally conditions the battery before starting charging.
However, any slight system failure can lead to disaster, due to the thermal shock that occurs between the cold battery and the energy current that arrives at high temperature. And even this preconditioning does not guarantee that this formidable thermal shock will not occur, since in recent years dozens of Tesla burnt down.
Risk of fire with batteries from other devices
not only the electric vehicles They can catch fire under certain circumstances. The famous case of a samsung mobile phone which triggered the ignition spontaneously and without apparent cause.
Some insurance company experts who study fire claims say a lot happens when loading like this. electric scooters where to drone batteries. Any an overload or a short circuit can trigger the disaster.
Therefore, it is recommended do not leave these devices charging at home or overnight, in addition to removing them from the socket once they have reached their maximum charge and as soon as possible, so as not to overheat the battery.
