Aug 12 2024: South Korean officials held an emergency meeting on Monday to address electric vehicle (EV) safety and explore whether car manufacturers should disclose the brands of batteries they use. This comes in response to increasing consumer fears following a recent EV fire in an underground garage that severely damaged an apartment complex.
The blaze on August 1st, which began in a Mercedes-Benz EV parked beneath a residential building, took eight hours to control. The fire destroyed or damaged around 140 cars and forced some residents to relocate to shelters.
The meeting, led by the country’s vice environment minister and attended by representatives from the transport and industry ministries, as well as the national fire agency, is set to result in new regulations soon.
On Tuesday, officials from the transport ministry will discuss with automakers, including Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea, a proposal to mandate the disclosure of battery brands used in EVs, according to media reports.
The transport ministry has yet to comment on these reports. Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The fire, which left dozens of charred cars in its wake, has heightened consumer anxiety about EVs, particularly in South Korea where many people live in apartment complexes with underground parking. Earlier this month, a Kia EV6, equipped with batteries from South Korean manufacturer SK On, also caught fire in a parking lot, according to fire authorities.
Experts note that EV fires behave differently from those involving internal combustion engines, often burning longer and being more difficult to extinguish, with a risk of reignition.
A report from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters in February revealed that 1,399 fires occurred in South Korean underground parking lots from 2013 to 2022, with 43.7% caused by vehicles. Electrical sources were identified as the cause of 53% of these vehicle fires.
The Chosun Ilbo newspaper recently reported that South Korea plans to require EV manufacturers to disclose battery brands. Currently, automakers must provide some vehicle information, such as fuel efficiency, but are not required to reveal battery manufacturers.
On Saturday, Hyundai Motor Co disclosed the battery manufacturers for its 13 EV models, including three Genesis models, on its website. The batteries are supplied by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, SK On, and China’s CATL.
Moon Hak-hoon, a professor of automotive engineering at Osan University, suggested that simply revealing the battery brand might not prevent fires. He recommended that each battery brand be certified for fire hazards. Park Moon-woo, the lead author of a report on EV fire responses, agreed that disclosure would provide consumers with more choices but noted the lack of definitive data on which battery brands are more fire-prone.
