The video and images of the sensational bus fire in Perugia, with the flames rising high into the sky like fireworks, are going around the world and relaunching fake news on the dangers of electric cars that catch fire. On the other hand, the #spectacularburningvehicle trend travels strongly on social networks. But let’s say one thing right away: this bus that emits huge columns of fire is not (indeed it was …) electric but powered by a good, old internal combustion engine, also converted to methane. And this is already the first fake news.
The second is that although many claim there were fatalities, no one was injured when the bus caught fire as it was being driven on provincial road 344 by a company mechanic, who managed to escape before the flames got out of control. . The fire spread to the adjacent woods but was controlled and finally extinguished by the Perugia fire brigade. The spectacularity of the images, with very high columns of fire, are then the result of the fact that the flames in the event of a fire follow the columns of natural gas which are deliberately ventilated away from the burning bus, gaining time to make the passengers escape.
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And on the fake news of dangerous electric cars we respond with a study by the National Fire Protection Association that shows how the fire risk associated with electric cars is 64 times lower than traditional cars. A car with a combustion engine can suddenly catch fire if the fuel (but more often its vapors) comes into contact with a spark or flame. A fire in a battery-powered car, on the other hand, occurs extremely slowly, thus giving the occupants more time to get out of the car and get to safety.
It is also true that a fire in an electric car is more difficult to extinguish, but given the slowness with which it spreads, up to now there have never been victims of this type of accident.
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Furthermore, we cannot ignore that the international legislation relating to lithium cells and modules, in reference to portable, stationary and Light Electric Rail (Ler) applications is very strict. We are talking specifically about the “UL 1642” standard for lithium batteries which defines requirements intended to reduce the risk of fire or explosion when lithium batteries (or cells) are used in a product. Certification requirements so stringent that they cover all eventualities to avoid the risk of fire or explosion when batteries are operated in a device of any type. With one exception: UL1642 certification requirements do not cover the risk of toxicity that can result from ingesting a battery. But it is a bit difficult for anyone to try to ingest an electric car battery that can weigh up to 800 kg …