South Korean officials convened to discuss the safety of electric vehicles (EVs) and the need to require car companies to disclose battery brands, according to Reuters.
The meeting came amid growing consumer concern after an EV fire in an underground garage severely damaged an apartment block.
A fire on 1 August, which apparently started spontaneously in a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle parked under a residential building, was extinguished for eight hours. About 140 cars were destroyed or damaged, with some residents forced to move to shelters.
The meeting is chaired by the country’s deputy environment minister and is also attended by representatives from the transport, industry, and national fire service ministries. The government is expected to announce the new rules soon.
Transport ministry officials will hold talks with car manufacturers including Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea on Tuesday to discuss a proposal to disclose the brands of batteries used in EVs. Images of dozens of charred cars, of which only metal frames remained in the car park, published in media outlets have heightened consumer fears about electric vehicles. The situation is probably exacerbated by the fact that many people in South Korea live in apartments, often with car parks underneath.
Earlier this month, Kia Corp’s EV6 electric crossover EV6 with batteries from South Korean battery maker SK On also caught fire in a car park, according to fire officials. Automotive experts say EVs burn differently than cars with internal combustion engines: fires often last longer and are harder to extinguish, as they tend to reignite.
The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters reported that 1,399 fires occurred in underground car parks in South Korea between 2013 and 2022. Of these, 43.7 per cent involved vehicles. Electrical sources were the cause of 53% of vehicle fires in underground garages.
Hyundai Motor Co on Saturday identified the makers of batteries used in 13 EV models, including three Genesis brand models, on its website after receiving multiple enquiries about battery makers for EVs.
