The fire risk from electric cars appears to be less than for conventional vehicles, although any firm conclusions are not yet possible because there is not enough data to decide that pure electric cars are more prone to spontaneous fire than internal combustion engine ones.
Recent data whipped up a storm on both sides of the argument. Electric car enthusiasts liked the idea that National Transportation Safety Board data, analysed by AutoinsuranceEZ, showed BEVs were far safer than hybrids and ICE cars. AutoinsuranceEZ said the numbers showed electric cars were less prone to fire than other vehicles, with hybrids the most dangerous, followed by gasoline vehicles.
“But 41 crashes vs 20,315 crashes vs 543 crashes make it statistically irresponsible to compare these numbers. For example, if there was a 42crash with an EV and it caught on fire then it would be 4.76% of EVs or double the rate of hybrids. Until the sample size is the same and significant we just can’t say which will be worse or not,” Conway said.
“Our latest research indicates that the risk of a fire for all types of EV remains less likely than for ICE vehicles. It should be noted that the usable data only goes back five years and even now the number of EVs on the roads still represents a very small sample size. This is also reflected in the safety testing we conduct in the U.K.
LMC Automotive analyst Oliver Petschenyk said it’s hard to say whether ICE cars or EVs are more or less prone to fires. With ICE vehicles, typical fire causes are brake fluid leaks igniting after exhaust contact, and electrical short circuits, which are usually design failures. Common EV failures include an internal cell short which could lead to thermal runaway.
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