“Fire incident rates higher in internal combustion engine cars” – Counterargument to electric vehicle owners’ claim of “difficult to control fire outbreaks”
Experts emphasize the importance of expanded fire prevention and firefighting facilities,
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Fire under an electric car
(Gumsan=Yonhap News) Firefighters extinguishing flames under an electric car parked on the first floor of a parking tower in Geumsan-eup, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do at 5 a.m. on the 6th. 2024.8.6 [Provided by Chungnam Geumsan Fire Department. Redistribution prohibited] coolee@yna.co.kr,
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, ‘ (Busan=Yonhap News) By Son Hyeong-ju = “Parking electric vehicles is prohibited.”‘,
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, ‘ Kim Mo (38), an electric vehicle owner, recently visited an officetel in Seomyeon, Busan, with a mechanical parking lot, only to be told that electric vehicles were not allowed to park there, prompting him to find another parking lot.’,
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, ‘ Some electric vehicles can only use large mechanical parking lots due to their weight, but Kim’s vehicle did not fall into that category.’,
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, ‘ The reason why electric vehicles cannot be parked in this building is because the building owner does not allow it out of consideration for fire hazards.’,
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, ‘ Following recent electric vehicle fire incidents at an apartment in Cheongna, Incheon, and a parking tower in Geumsan, the fear of electric vehicles has spread, leading to more restrictions on electric vehicles’ access to underground parking lots or tower-type parking lots.’,
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, ‘ In some apartment communities, conflicts have arisen among residents over the proposed restrictions on electric vehicle access to underground parking lots.’,
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, ‘ On August 8, debates over restrictions on electric vehicle access have sparked on various online automotive communities.’,
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, ‘ Electric vehicle owners argue, “The fire incident rate is higher in internal combustion engine cars, so why restrict only electric vehicles?” and express disappointment at being treated as potential arsonists.’,
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, ‘ They further raise their voices, saying, “The fire incident rate is also high in hybrid vehicles, and firefighting is difficult. If we follow this logic, shouldn’t access be restricted for all vehicles, including hybrid ones? Is this a reasonable approach?”‘,
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, ‘ On the other hand, proponents of electric vehicle access restrictions argue, “Rather than focusing on the fire incident rate of electric vehicles, we should focus on the difficulty of controlling fires and the extensive damage that can occur once they ignite,” and assert that access restrictions are natural in such a situation where even battery information is obscure, and the risk of fire is unpredictable.’,
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, ‘ Though various statistics show that the fire incident rate of electric vehicles is significantly lower than that of internal combustion engine cars, some argue that comparing the actual fire incident rates numerically is difficult due to the fact that internal combustion engine cars are generally older in age than electric vehicles.’,
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, ‘ Experts caution against excessive spreading of fear about electric vehicle fires and suggest focusing on enhancing the capacity to respond to electric vehicle fires instead of engaging in fruitless debates.’,
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, ‘ They add that in light of the recent electric vehicle fire incident at Cheongna Apartment where the sprinklers did not function, causing the fire to spread rapidly, it is essential to inspect relevant facilities to prevent electric vehicle fires from escalating into major conflagrations.’,
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, ‘ Moon Hyeon, a professor of future electric vehicle engineering at Osan University, said, “Many apartments do not have above-ground parking lots, making it both unrealistic and lacking in grounds to enforce restrictions on electric vehicle access to underground parking lots. Additionally, since the actual fire incident rate of electric vehicles is lower than that of internal combustion engine cars, there is insufficient justification for enforced access restrictions.”,
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, ‘ “Enhancing firefighting facilities to prevent electric vehicle fires from spreading into major conflagrations when they occur is necessary,” he added.’,
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, ‘ handbrother@yna.co.kr’,
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