The British government, while in a rush to meet net zero targets, has not properly recognized the potential fire risks posed by lithium batteries in electric vehicles. This is according to Tory Member of Parliament (MP) Bob Blackman, who has been campaigning against plans to build an electric bus garage beneath a residential skyscraper in north London.
Blackman, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group, warned that there is a huge fire safety risk to consider when discussing the planned garage. He added that if there is a problem with the wrong position, there's a chance that a block of flats could collapse.
Lithium is one of those chemicals that burns at a very high temperature. Trying to put out a lithium fire with water can be dangerous because it is very high risk. (Related: EV challenges: Electric car charging station’s power usage exceeds that of 280 HOMES.)
Property developers Ballymore has drafted plans to "carefully rejuvenate" the center of Edgware, a north London suburb, with a new cinema, library, shops and restaurants, along with 3,365 new homes in 25 tower blocks.
However, the most controversial aspect of the proposal is the plan to build a "transport hub," which includes a bus station, with buses being stored and charged overnight at the basement level. The hub will be located under one of the residential towers.
The Ballymore website stated: "To make better use, we are moving the bus interchange underground... which will reduce congestion and make crossings safer."
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Residents could be at risk because of a potential battery fire
Anuta Zack, spokesman for Save our Edgware, said a battery fire in the bus garage could result in "Grenfell on steroids," with residents living in the building above potentially facing "severe risk." Zack was referring to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 where 72 people died.
In a statement released earlier in December, the group said: "Save Our Edgware, a local residents' group, has raised serious concerns about the fire risk of the Ballymore/TfL plan to charge at least 190 electric buses in an underground garage, potentially endangering 7,000 residents living in high-rise tower blocks above."
A spokesman for the Ballymore/TfL joint venture claimed that the garage would only be occupied by electric buses after getting approvals from all relevant bodies. Blackman, who represents the neighboring Harrow East constituency, said TfL has withdrawn its support for the proposed underground bus garage amid the valid concerns discussed by the London Fire Brigade.
If a petrol or diesel-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) ignites, it can be extinguished fairly quickly by the fire brigade using conventional hoses. However, things are different with electric vehicles, which are powered by lithium battery packs that are built into the chassis because the batteries can go into "thermal runaway" for many reasons.
Matt Humby, a senior technical consultant at fire extinguisher manufacturer Firechief Global, advised that it is sometimes difficult to put out fires once they go into thermal runaway. He added that in some cases, lithium battery modules can still burn underwater.
Humby also said that while water will cool it, it's not enough to stop that thermal runaway event. Each cell will go into thermal runaway, resulting in a domino effect. According to Humby, the problems lie with "whether or not the government gets the proper legislation in place to state that these need to be put in certain areas."
Visit RoboCars.news to learn more about the dangers of electric vehicles.
Watch this clip about electric vehicles exploding in shocking numbers.
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