Australian plan to combat EV fires with a soaking
A big roadside bath could be the future emergency response for burning EVs on our roads as a good soaking could be key to safely suppressing vehicle fires that may otherwise last for days
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
A plan to fight electric vehicle fires in Australia would use a big bucket on wheels to extinguish “thermal runaway*” disasters.
The NSW Government was preparing to rollout a custom-built trailer to help fight EV fires and keep the state’s roads moving after future EV events.
Exactly how the container would be used, and by whom, remained unclear, with NSW Fire and Rescue and Fire Brigade Employees Union representatives unaware of the device when initially contacted.
Similar in size to a shipping container, the device would be towed to crash scenes involving EVs.
The prototype* features a hydraulic* ramp that lowers to collect damaged cars, and a powerful winch* to haul them into place.
Connections for water hoses could enable firefighters or other emergency crews to fill the interior – basically a great big bucket – with water, to help stop electric vehicle fires from burning out of control.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said that although electric vehicles “present a low fire risk … the growing popularity of EVs has prompted an exploration of opportunities to enhance EV safety across the network”.
“As part of an all-of-government focus on safety, Transport for NSW has investigated options to safely and efficiently remove and transport damaged EVs involved in a crash from the network for secure storage,” the spokesperson said.
“Transport for NSW, in consultation with Fire and Rescue NSW, has designed and owns a specialised vehicle trailer with the capability to load and submerge electric vehicles when required.”
Submersion was “a critical safety measure to reduce the risk of thermal runaway and battery fires following severe damage,” they said, for example, after a crash.
“Similar concepts are used overseas but would be too large to efficiently navigate Sydney’s road network. By building the trailer in NSW, Transport has been able to significantly lower costs around this trial and improve collaboration with other agencies on the concept,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said that Transport for NSW developed the trailer “as a potential fire protection measure” and was working with other government agencies including fire authorities to establish how it should be used.
Rather than extinguishing a fire, the trailer would be used to cool batteries at risk of igniting into “thermal runaway” fires that pose extreme hazards.
Electric vehicle fires have been linked to serious and costly disasters at sea, including the Morning Midas, Fremantle Highway and Felicity Ace fires that destroyed three ships and around 10,000 vehicles.
National training rolled out by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) states that “just like conventional vehicles, EVs may become involved in a fire”.
“Their characteristics will be similar to other vehicles unless, or until, the (lithium ion* battery) becomes involved.
“Thermal runaway is a phenomenon where a (lithium ion battery) cell enters a state of uncontrolled self-heating. It often begins when the heat generated inside the cell exceeds the heat that can be released to its surroundings.
“This self-sustaining reaction rapidly increases internal temperature and pressure, causing the battery cells to vent hot, toxic and flammable vapours*. If these vapours ignite, they can cause flash fires, jet-like flames or explosions.”
AFAC policy states that “if a thermal runaway event has occurred, it may be a long duration incident and may require significant resources to control”.
“Previous incidents indicate that between 4000 and 30,000 litres of water may be required for extinguishment and cooling, depending on the extent and quantity of damaged cells.”
It also encourages firefighters to monitor the temperature of a damaged EV battery for at least an hour before moving it, regardless of the effect on traffic.
The new EV fire container could help get traffic moving faster following a crash, by helping control battery temperatures as a vehicle is transported from the scene.
First responders have been warned that the thermal incident hazard “can exist for over four weeks post extinguishment”; for that reason, damaged EVs must be stored very carefully.
Police, ambulance and rescue services have been instructed to alert fire brigades when EVs are involved in a collision.
Firefighters use thermal cameras to look for “hot spots” in vehicle batteries that show a thermal runaway fire may occur, watch for high-pressure gas release and listen for popping sounds that indicate a vehicle’s battery is cooking.
Federally funded national EV training for firefighters was published this year, offering instructions on how to cool a battery using fire hoses.
But there were no available guidelines surrounding the new bucket system at the time of writing.
Built by Berry Howe Industries in Unanderra, NSW, the $186,230 trailer was being quietly stored in a Transport for NSW holding facility in Western Sydney. Testing and training for the new device was set to start soon.
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GLOSSARY
- thermal runaway: when a battery begins uncontrollably self-heating, causing a rapid spike in temperature that can lead to a fire and explosion
- prototype: model or first example of a machine or other industrial product, from which others are developed
- hydraulic: tools operated by water pressure or some other liquid power source
- winch: machine that lifts heavy objects by turning a chain or rope around a tube-shaped device
- lithium ion: type of rechargeable battery that uses the ions of a chemical element that is a soft, silver-coloured metal
- vapours: gas or extremely small drops of liquid that result from the heating of a liquid or solid
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QUICK QUIZ
- What are two of the prototype’s features?
- How do thermal cameras help firefighters?
- What is the estimated value of the trailer?
- How many litres of water may be required to extinguish EV fires?
- Approximately how many vehicles were destroyed in three shipping fires?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What should you do?
Do you know what you should do if there is an electrical fire? Use your research skills to find out, if you don’t. Use the information that you have found to write the words for a jingle, rhyme or rap that will help other kids remember how to stay safe if they see an electrical fire.
Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
Design a plan for how the trailer could be used and who should operate it on our roads.
Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links English, Design and Technologies
VCOP ACTIVITY
Wow word recycle
There are plenty of wow words (ambitious pieces of vocabulary) being used in the article. Some are in the glossary, but there might be extra ones from the article that you think are exceptional as well.
Identify all the words in the article that you think are not common words, and particularly good choices for the writer to have chosen.
Select three words you have highlighted to recycle into your own sentences.
If any of the words you identified are not in the glossary, write up your own glossary for them.
Extension
Find a bland sentence from the article to up-level. Can you add more detail and description? Can you replace any base words with more specific synonyms?
Down-level for a younger audience. Find a sentence in the article that is high level. Now rewrite it for a younger audience so they can understand the words without using the glossary.