Report reveals reality of electric vehicle battery fires: ‘The media don’t treat EVs and ICEs with equal footing’

The barriers to electric vehicle adoption among consumers include cost, perceived lack of infrastructure, and a lack of choice in terms of vehicle type.

Another concern for many is safety, with battery fires a particular worry for prospective purchasers.

According to a survey from Morning Consult in early 2023, nearly half of respondents still unconvinced about an electric car purchase were put off by reports of EV fires.

However, a professor from Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has been speaking out on the perception that EV fires are more likely than similar problems in traditional, internal-combustion-engine machines.

Paul A. Kohl told IEEE Spectrum, a magazine from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, that, “The media don’t treat EVs and ICEs with equal footing, because gasoline is not sensational anymore.”

Citing data from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, IEEE Spectrum said that 1,530 fires were reported for every 100,000 cars sold with an internal combustion engine. Meanwhile, for every 100,000 EVs sold, only 25 fires were reported.

One of the major issues surrounding EV fires is that fire services have a hard time extinguishing them. As IEEE Spectrum noted, some firefighters have reported that no matter how much water is used, lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to put out.