[Inside Chodong] Why the Worsening Damage Matters More Than the Cause of the Fire

Electric Vehicle Battery Technology Still in Its Infancy
Learning Safe Usage Is Just as Important
as Producing Safer Products

Fires can break out in cars at any time. Of course, it would be best for everyone if no fires ever occurred, but we must recognize that such incidents can happen to anyone, anytime. The fact that an object weighing thousands of kilograms can move on its own means it contains a significant amount of energy. Energy equates to heat. Since the modern era, engineering technology has advanced to better control heat safely and to develop the capability to respond effectively even if a fire does break out.

Considering this, I believe our society’s attitude toward the fire that occurred last month in an apartment in Incheon is somewhat misguided. The direct and indirect damages suffered by the apartment residents who could no longer stay in their homes and the Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle owners are unfortunate. Perhaps feeling the public’s harsh criticism, the company that sold the electric vehicle, identified as the initial ignition source, in Korea offered 4.5 billion won to the residents and provided those whose cars were unusable due to the accident with the opportunity to use a vehicle for one year. However, since the investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing, the perception that a specific company’s electric vehicle or battery is the cause of this incident does not help society move forward in a better direction. If the diagnosis is wrong, the remedy will inevitably be flawed.

The technology for manufacturing cars is highly advanced and considered a field with a high baseline of quality, thanks to over 100 years of development and refinement. In contrast, batteries, regarded as the core components of electric vehicles, are still in the early stages of development. Even a difference of one or two years in industry experience can create significant disparities within the sector, leading to large variations in patents and technological capabilities among companies. This is why there is a perception that using batteries from large or well-known companies is better.

However, simply knowing the battery supplier does not mean that our society’s ability to respond to electric vehicle fires has improved. I believe it is inappropriate to narrow the cause of the accident solely to the vehicle or the battery supplier. But if that direction proves correct, it is necessary to examine more closely which parts Mercedes-Benz may have manufactured incorrectly and what issues the battery in question might have caused. Of course, manufacturers are unlikely to provide sufficient information, and analyzing the situation firsthand is no easy task. It took several years just to “estimate” the cause of the fire in the Hyundai Kona electric vehicle, which was actively burning.

The direction is also important when developing response methods. Most experts criticize Seoul City’s decision to restrict electric vehicle access to underground parking lots just one week after the accident because they believe the initial analysis was flawed. Managing battery charge levels below a certain threshold as part of vehicle lifespan management has been recommended before. However, whether to enforce such measures is a different matter. Recently, Seoul City has taken common-sense approaches such as placing electric vehicle charging stations on the top floors of underground parking lots to facilitate fire truck access and installing CCTV to eliminate blind spots around parking lot charging stations.

We continue to experience countless electric vehicle fires and even more internal combustion engine vehicle fires. It is important to produce safer products in the future. Furthermore, learning how to use what has been made safely and how to respond safely even if a fire breaks out is even more crucial. We have often seen cases where early suppression or properly functioning fire prevention systems prevented a small fire from spreading into a major blaze.

Choi Dae-yeol, Deputy Head of the Industrial IT Department