Reported By Ankush Jaiswal
An incident in Thane, Maharashtra, has left EV two wheelers in shock after an Electric Two Wheeler caught fire, vehicles battery exploded while being charged on Sunday evening. The accident left three women injured, one of whom is in a critical state. The accident took place at Almas Colony in the Kusa area at around 5:15 PM. Thane Municipal Corporation Disaster Management Chief Yasin Tadvi said that three women in the house sustained burn injuries after the battery exploded and caused a fire.
The Victims Nusrat Syed (45), Hafza Syed (24) and Afza Syed (18) were all admitted to the hospital. Nusrat suffered extensive burns, and was hence taken to a hospital in Mumbai.
Thermal Runaway The Reason Behind Battery Explosion And Fires
Thermal Runaway is often the reason behind an explosion and fire, with thermal runaway, a chemical reaction located in one of the cells lights an initial fire and that continues along individually in all the cells. The heat soon spreads to each adjacent cell until the entire battery burns down. A major concern with such fires is that these fires are hard to put out. In certain cases manufacturer-led defects cause issues as fires led by such defects often take place randomly. Here are a few ways that you can ensure that such incidents do not take place.
Always follow manufacturers recommendation while charging the vehicle, always adhere to guidelines regarding EV and battery as provided by the manufacturer. Beyond these it’s also important to ensure that you always use the original charger and apparatus to ensure that the battery does not witness any load. It Is advised to always refrain from overcharging the battery and try to charge in open areas to reduce the chances of such occurrences.
With better technology and innovations, engineers would soon be able to implement thermal management within the battery pack to regulate the right temperature and prevent overheating that impacts the battery performance. These changes would include the inclusion of Non-Combustible surfaces, heat sinks and active cooling systems.
