Fire Occurs While Truck Transporting for Repair
Electric Vehicle Completely Burned, Cargo Bed Total Loss, Damage of 20 Million Won
Both EV Owner and Delivery Company Refuse Compensation
A fire broke out in an electric vehicle during delivery, completely destroying not only the electric car but also the truck's cargo bed, yet the delivery driver who suffered the damage is expressing frustration, saying there is no way to receive compensation.
On the 1st, a post titled "Fire during delivery of Ray EV electric car. Where should I get compensation?" was uploaded on the online community 'Bobaedream.' The author, Mr. A, stated that he is an acquaintance of the delivery driver. According to Mr. A, the fire occurred around 5 p.m. on June 30 near the underground passage by Incheon Grand Park in Jangsu-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the Ray EV delivery vehicle. The vehicle was a 2014 model Ray EV electric car, being delivered for repairs at the time. Mr. A shared photos and videos capturing the situation along with the post.
A fire broke out in a Kia Ray electric vehicle being transported for repairs [Image source: Online community 'Bobae Dream' capture]
In the video, as the Ray EV vehicle loaded on the truck entered the tunnel, bright red flames suddenly erupted from the driver’s and passenger’s seats of the Ray EV. Soon after the truck carrying the Ray vehicle exited the tunnel, the surroundings brightened, making the flames less visible, but smoke from the fire came out of the Ray EV. The delivery driver noticed the fire in the underground passage, stopped on the shoulder, and attempted to extinguish it with a vehicle fire extinguisher, but claimed it was ineffective.
There were no casualties from the fire, but the 2014 Ray EV and the truck’s cargo bed were completely destroyed, resulting in property damage exceeding 20 million KRW. The delivery driver detailed the property damage as a total loss of the 2014 Ray EV (estimated around 5 to 6 million KRW), total loss of the 2016 Hyundai Mighty Suseong Special Truck self-safety loader cargo bed (over 15 million KRW), damage to the video recording device (about 1 million KRW), as well as loss of income and mental distress. Mr. A added that the delivery driver had to take time off work for vehicle repairs, causing additional financial loss, and is currently unable to sleep due to trauma from the accident.
The firefighter who extinguished the vehicle fire estimated that the fire started from the battery of the Ray EV. The fire certificate lists the cause of the fire as a "chemical factor." The problem is that no one is taking responsibility for the fire damage. Although the accident occurred during transportation to the repair shop, both the repair shop that requested the delivery and the Ray EV owner have shown irresponsible attitudes regarding compensation, Mr. A claimed. The truck was brought in for repairs due to the sudden accident, and since it is a cargo vehicle, it was not covered by comprehensive insurance, so the delivery driver had no choice but to pay for the truck repairs out of pocket.
The electric vehicle in question was subject to a recall by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as of May 29 due to the possibility of fire caused by durability issues in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU). However, the connection between the recall and the fire has not been established.
Netizens who read this story responded with comments such as, "What fault does the cargo truck driver have?", "The Ray owner should compensate the delivery driver first, that’s only fair," "An electric car that you have to worry about catching fire during delivery," "The delivery driver can’t even get compensation despite the accident happening while delivering because the vehicle was undrivable," "It’s so frustrating that no one wants to take responsibility," and "I’m scared to ride electric cars."
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