The windshield of a Mercedes-Benz automobile is shattered after a fireplace, of unknown origin, erupted in an underground parking zone in Incheon, Aug. 14. Yonhap
Opinions break up on effectiveness of charging charge restrict
By Lee Min-hyung
Jitters over electrical automobile (EV) fires have been rising in latest weeks following a sequence of incidents the place EVs have spontaneously ignited for unknown causes.
Shoppers are steering clear of buying EVs, and an rising variety of parking heaps are refusing to simply accept them. In response, central and native governments are proposing measures for battery administration. Nevertheless, these measures are dealing with criticism from each carmakers and drivers attributable to uncertainties about their effectiveness.
The phobia started earlier this month when a parked Mercedes-Benz EQE electrical sedan exploded out of the blue in an underground residential storage in Incheon, inflicting intensive harm to over 100 different autos and the ability.
A number of different incidents have adopted, involving autos from varied carmakers, together with Tesla.
These incidents have been sufficient to lift considerations amongst drivers and parking zone operators, impacting the business considerably.
“I really feel a way of unrest whereas driving my EV throughout the peak summer season interval, as EV fires make headlines day after day,” an EV driver in Seoul stated. “I stay in an outdated residence advanced, so there may be not sufficient area to park. Nevertheless, the repeated EV fires are fueling public considerations that EV drivers ought to keep away from parking their automobiles in underground garages, including to the stress I really feel when parking my automobile.”
One other EV driver, who solely recognized himself by his surname, additionally expressed remorse over his choice to buy an EV.
“I obtained my EV inspected by the producer, and no issues have been discovered,” the driving force stated. “However I really feel uncomfortable when parking the automobile in an underground parking facility as a result of damaging social attitudes towards EVs.”
Some hospitals and business buildings have banned EVs from their parking services, resulting in difficulties for guests who drive electrical autos.
Based on information from market tracker Automotive Is You, EV gross sales within the first half of this 12 months dropped 16.5 % in comparison with the identical interval of 2023, whereas hybrid automobile gross sales surged 24.3 % throughout the identical interval.
Based on information from Okay Automotive, a used automobile gross sales platform, the variety of EVs listed on the market surged 184 % within the week following the EQE fireplace on Aug. 1, in comparison with the week earlier than.
In opposition to this backdrop, authorities are working to introduce stricter regulatory pointers to deal with the rising fears surrounding EVs.
The central authorities determined just lately to require carmakers to reveal their battery sources. Because the Incheon fireplace, most EV producers have voluntarily offered their battery info, and this disclosure will quickly develop into a requirement.
Beginning in October, carmakers can even be required to acquire authorities certification for the protection of their automobile batteries. This measure, initially set to take impact in February, has been accelerated.
Authorities are additionally speaking to EV makers to require them to supply clients free battery security inspections annually.
The federal government additionally plans to implement a spread of further measures to fight EV fires, together with the rollout of roughly 90,000 sensible chargers designed to stop battery overcharging. Moreover, it’s contemplating the obligatory set up of sprinklers in underground garages of recent buildings.
One other notable measure launched by native governments is to limit EVs with a battery degree above 90 % from getting into underground residential parking heaps. Seoul and a number of other different municipalities have introduced they may implement this measure as early as September.
Nevertheless, the measure has sparked controversy throughout the business, as EV makers argue that almost all electrical autos are geared up with battery administration programs (BMS) designed to make sure security.
They argue that EVs are technically designed to keep away from being totally charged, with a security margin of round 3 to five %.
A hearth drill is performed at an underground parking zone of the Gyeonggi Provincial Authorities workplace in Suwon, Aug. 23. Yonhap
Nevertheless, specialists argue that the charging restrict proposed by native governments continues to be a step in the appropriate path, as addressing the rising EV-phobia ought to be the highest precedence.
“Limiting the battery charging charge is without doubt one of the most real looking measures that the governments can take in the meanwhile,” stated Kim Pil-soo, an automotive know-how professor at Daelim College Faculty. “Because the cost decreases, the vitality density in batteries theoretically additionally drops, which reduces the chance of overheating.”
Overheating, also called thermal runaway, happens when a broken battery causes the temperature and strain throughout the cells to rise. It is a major reason for EV fires.
Kim additionally emphasised that the main focus ought to be on assuaging the rising public fears over EVs.
“Carmakers could not welcome the thought, however decreasing public considerations relating to EV fires ought to be the highest precedence,” he stated.
Different specialists urged the federal government to take extra stringent measures, corresponding to blocking EVs from getting into underground parking heaps till the precise causes of the repeated fires are higher understood.
“Limiting the battery cost is just not sufficient, because it stays unclear precisely what’s inflicting the EV fires,” stated Kim Dae-jong, a professor of enterprise administration at Sejong College. “The best measure for now could be to limit all EVs from underground parking services.”
Some European cities have carried out comparable measures in response to EV fires. For instance, since 2021, the German city of Kulmbach has prohibited EVs and hybrid automobiles from being parked in underground services.
