Even a Puff of Smoke Causes Alarm... Electric Taxis Submerged in Dedicated Tanks for Safety Measures

Measures Taken Using Dedicated Tank

Amid a series of recent electric vehicle fire incidents, a large amount of smoke was emitted from a parked electric vehicle in Andong-si, Gyeongbuk.

According to Yonhap News on the 19th, at around 5:28 PM the previous day, the Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters received a report that smoke was coming from an electric taxi parked in a residential area in Yongsang-dong, Andong-si, Gyeongbuk.

Electric car submerged in a water tank. [Image provided by Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters]

Firefighters who responded submerged the electric vehicle in a dedicated water tank and completed safety measures after about two hours. The electric vehicle was manufactured by a domestic company and was reported to have been owned by the car owner for about 2 years and 1 month.

A fire official stated, "Only smoke was coming from the electric vehicle, so it was not a fire situation," and added, "Safety measures were taken later as a precaution to prevent ignition."

Meanwhile, as the supply of electric vehicles expands, related fire incidents are also increasing. According to the Insurance Development Institute, from 2019 to last year, there were 53 cases of electric vehicle own-damage insurance claims due to fire or explosion over five years, which corresponds to 0.93 cases per 10,000 electric vehicles. During the same period, there were 6,256 fire and explosion cases involving non-electric vehicles, which translates to 0.90 cases per 10,000 vehicles.

The Insurance Development Institute analyzed that the main reason the accident rate for electric vehicles is higher than that of non-electric vehicles is because the average driving distance is longer, exposing them more to accident risks, and rapid acceleration capability also appears to have an influence.