On the 22nd, Kwon Young-jin, a member of the People Power Party, held a forum on 'Safety Management Measures for Electric Vehicle Fire Response.' The forum discussed safety management measures for electric vehicle batteries and ways to enhance firefighting response capabilities.
On the same day, Representative Kwon held the forum to urgently prepare safety management measures related to the recent electric vehicle fire accident in an underground parking lot in Incheon. At the forum, he said, "Since the recent electric vehicle fire accident, there has been confusion due to inconsistent prescriptions and measures regarding whether to allow entry into apartment underground parking lots and restrictions on electric vehicle charging," adding, "A comprehensive government plan is urgently needed to alleviate public concerns."
Government officials participated in the forum to introduce the current status and plans for electric vehicle fire prevention and response.
Kim Eun-jung, Director of the Automobile Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Since 2022, we have been preparing and are planning to implement a battery pre-certification and battery history management system to strengthen electric vehicle safety," adding, "We plan to encourage manufacturers' voluntary efforts by awarding higher safety scores to vehicles equipped with advanced Battery Management System (BMS) functions."
Park Jae-jung, Director of the Battery Electric Electronics Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, explained, "The solution through BMS is the most reliable answer," and added, "The challenge will be to ensure that automobile companies equip vehicles with BMS that meet certain performance standards."
Discussions on reinforcing firefighting equipment were also held. Kim Soo-hwan, Director of Equipment Management at the National Fire Agency, said, "I believe the National Fire Agency sufficiently possesses equipment for electric vehicle fire suppression," but added, "Once technical, equipment, and various response systems are established in each field, it is expected to lead to institutional improvements." Ko Byung-yong, Team Leader of the Public Housing Facilities Department at Korea Land and Housing Corporation, stated, "To prevent recurrence, it is necessary to improve the operational performance and reliability of sprinklers, enhance the capabilities of safety managers who can properly operate firefighting facilities in multi-family housing, and prepare measures to strengthen precision inspection systems."
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