Electric car myths burn faster than the old Golf. So let's see what the statistics say. So electric cars and fires!
I was sipping an espresso when I read your letter – in which you express your fear that my surely upcoming Tesla will trigger an apocalypse in the garage. That’s why this article was written – Electric Cars and Fires. No, not out of envy, because you’re still driving a petrol diesel design from when Britney Spears was dating Justin. But because you’re seriously concerned about fire safety.
And since (unfortunately) I can only speak in the language of numbers, I decided to answer you - not with handwritten graphs, but with facts that even your (baked to the brim) Golf IV can understand.
Numbers that will chill you and illustrate scientific reality! Electric cars and fires!
Let me give you an interesting statistical cocktail that doesn't smell like gasoline:
- Electric cars: 25 fires per 100,000 vehicles
- Diesel and petrol cars: 1,530 fires per 100,000 vehicles
- Hybrids: 3,475 fires per 100,000 vehicles
If you're bad at math, I'll tell you the truth: your C-Max Hybrid is on fire. 139 times more often as shy Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV. That's like saying that the chances of your hybrid catching fire are about the same as the chances of you meeting a bear on a walk in Tivoli. With an electric car? It's more likely that a satellite will fall on your head. Although like I said. It's probably both.
These numbers are not randomly selected from Google, but are based on US data (NTSB, BTS, AutoInsuranceEZ analysis) and confirmed by Swedish and Norwegian research. Norway, where almost every second car is electric, has 4 to 5 times more fires in petrol and diesel vehicles than in electric vehicles, according to official data (CTIF, 2023). Use Google and search for: Electric cars and fires.
Closed garages and fire in toilet paper
The biggest scare is of course a spontaneous combustion in a garage. A very James Bond concept. But EV FireSafe (Australia's electric vehicle safety project) says that it's possible 85 % fires occur while driving or parking without charging. Charging? Only 15 % casesThis means that your electric car is less dangerous while you sleep than a home aquarium, which can cause a tsunami and kill more people every year. Statistically speaking, of course!
But when it's on fire... yes, dear neighbor, EVs can be dramatic. I admit it! A fire can require more water than a California drought. But not because EVs burn longer - but because they are harder to "extinguish completely". And here's another thing: most of these fires don't even start in the battery. So says the Oslo fire department - the interior, the plastic, the seats... which is also your Golf. Except the media doesn't report on it. Because, well, it's boring. An interesting fact is that electric cars are more prone to arson than conventional cars. Which means they are like a magnet for scoundrels. Which worries me a little, given certain kleptomaniac incidents in our garage.
The media phenomenon of the halo effect: "Tesla on fire! The world is ending!"
The halo effect is when one dramatic Tesla fire gets more attention than 1,530 gasoline fires in the same week. Why? Because new technology is always suspect. Remember how they said Wi-Fi would cause cancer. Or that microwaves would kill vitamins. And that wearing aluminum foil on your head would stop the government from reading your mind.
The media loves EV fires. They're photogenic. Sparks, flames, a little scientific terminology (“thermal runaway!”) and we already have the headline: “Teslagedon!” Meanwhile, an old Passat burns down every third day and not even the local fire department board announces it.
And speaking of practicality…
Experts – the people who actually understand batteries and fires – say: electric cars they are not more dangerous. Actually, less. They're like introverted librarians: if you leave them alone and give them a good cable, they won't bother anyone.
Insurance companies? They're worried about the cost of repairs, not fires. That's why premiums are higher - no because EVs catch fire more often, but because repairing them is like going to the dentist with a Rolex. However, it is necessary to admit that in the last 2 years the prices of insurance for all vehicles have jumped by more than 30% - not just electric ones. And if an EV ever catches fire, the damage is serious - because the vehicle is expensive, not because the devil is in the battery. Even in terms of the amount of total damage, insurance premiums are equal to those of classic cars. Which means that when it burns in the garage, the damage will be the same regardless of the type of fuel in the vehicle. Just as diesel can cause millions of dollars in damage, an electric car can also cause such damage. It can even be greater, but insurance companies do not believe this.
And let me tell you this: manufacturers are already installing several safety mechanisms in EVs as standard. It means that there is a special emphasis here.
Conclusion for all Slovenian neighbors, not just mine
And let's get back to solid ground - specifically the garage. We already have a hybrid parked in our subway., which hides both the battery and the fuel tank – so double trouble, if we believe the statistics. In addition, we have a neighbor who is convinced that his old diesel runs perfectly on cviček (read: heating oil), even though the smell from his exhaust stinks up the fourth basement floor every time. And don't be fooled by those beautifully mounted lights in the ceilings above the cars – There are more homemade electrical installations in the garage than at the local innovation fair., except that no one has ever professionally inspected them. It's like coming to India and wondering how the electricity works in a hotel room. At the same time, we have a kleptiomaniac (possibly also a fireman) in the building who regularly sticks pins under my tires and knocks on the front door, causing kleptomaniac damage.
Therefore, if we are already discussing about fire safety in garages, let's start where we have the real problem - with improvised solutions, poor maintenance and a "it'll do" mentality. Electric cars have certificates, tests and controlled systems. A home wiring from a half-shrunk extension cord that goes past three three-phase distributors and ends at a microwave with an “economy charger”? Well, that’s what would really deserve a red card. If things are calibrated, tested and made with the help of experts, there shouldn’t be any problems.
My dear neighbor. When I park my EV in the garage, I won't have radioactive waste as company. Rather, a witty, quiet, cool-running vehicle that is statistically more reliable than your diesel or gasoline dinosaur.
So the next time you read in the yellow portal – even if these are Finance.si"The electric car caught fire," he remembers - you just turned past three gas stations, which are a serious potential source of the next fire that won't make the news.
By the way, next time you come for coffee – I'll have a statistical poster ready. You can hang it on the wall, next to a picture of your old Ford. To remind you that sometimes things really aren't as hot as they make them out to be.
Sources and recommended reading:
- NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), USA, reports 2022–2024
- BTS (Bureau of Transportation Statistics), USA
- AutoInsuranceEZ: Fire Benchmarking 2023
- EV FireSafe, Australia, 2022 report
- CTIF (International Association of Fire & Rescue Services), statistics for Norway and Sweden, 2022–2023
- The Guardian: EV mythbusters, November 2023
- MSB (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency), Report 2022
- pinfa.eu: Analysis of fire risk in hybrid and EV
- fairfaxcounty.gov: EV fire safety facts
- Allianz, WTW: insurance analyses and recommendations
- warpnews.org: Norwegian and Swedish expert commentary
- IEEE Spectrum: EV Fire Safety Articles, 2023
- bnnbloomberg.ca: EV fire case in South Korea, August 2024
If you want to be even more convinced, I recommend reading the reports mentioned above. And the next time you feel like calling a fireman about an electric car parked in the garage – invite me for coffee instead. Statistics can be fun too!
Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. This article is the product of the author's vivid imagination.
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