While electric vehicles (EVs) are only beginning to enter the transportation industry, it’s likely that shops will see more and more of these vehicles in the years to come. This means shops need to be prepared to service these vehicles safely, including how to avoid potential battery fires.
So, what do shops and fleets need to know about these risks when they start working EVs?
First, although rare, commercial EV developers have already encountered some battery fire problems. For instance, in 2023, Nikola experienced two battery-pack fires on their Tre BEVs which led to a recall of 209 of the trucks. And even though AutoInsuranceEZ found only 25 fires out of 100,000 electric passenger EV sales, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence still includes battery fire preparation among its new EV Certification Standards.
One of the important things to know about battery fires is that they tend to burn hotter than gasoline. Additionally, these blazes can reignite without warning, especially if the battery or EV is damaged or defective, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Read more: Preparing trucking to safely service electric vehicles
“Ultimately, it all starts with the lithium-ion cells and ensuring that they're designed correctly for the correct usage in the field,” said Lisa McKenzie, president and general manager for the Battery Power Systems Unit at Freudenberg E-Power Systems (FEPS). “A lot of times these fires happen because the cells are used too aggressively, or they're used in areas that they really shouldn't be used.”
FEPS designs, develops, and manufactures battery and fuel cell systems for heavy-duty transportation, and McKenzie emphasized that lowering the risks for fires includes making sure not to overcharge or over-discharge batteries. Additionally, weather and natural disasters can make EV batteries more dangerous, too.
“Now, during a flood situation, there is a risk of an HV battery fire if the battery is in the vehicle’s cabin,” warned Craig Van Batenburg on Fleet Maintenance affiliate Modern Tire Dealer. Batenburg owns Van Batenburg’s Garage Inc. dba Automotive Career Development Center, which offers training for servicing both electric and hybrid vehicles. “If the EV’s interior is submerged in salt water, as was the case in 2022 when Hurricane Ian hit Florida, watch out for smoke. The fire risk after saltwater flooding can potentially persist for weeks,” he said.
Batenburg also warned that a battery fire can occur “within an hour” of being connected to a DC fast charger, usually if there are “impurities are in the cell or a spot-welded tab comes loose inside the HV pack.”
There was a similar case in a recent recall for certain Ford 2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles, where junction box busbar fasteners in the battery back might not have been tightened securely, resulting in increased risk of a fire.
Read more: Analysis: The dark side of electrification
To avoid such incidents, fleets can use telematics to detect any battery or charger problems before a fire breaks out. For instance, Fleetio currently offers an EV management tool to track charge ports and batteries.
“Now, we’re bringing in data points such as State of Charge,” said Bri Perry, product marketing manager at Fleetio. “One of the things we heard from our customers is they wanted the ability to see that kind of data in Fleetio so if something did look wrong, they could click a few buttons, capture that vehicle data and open up a work order right there.”
FEPS offers a similar product with each of their battery packs and can leverage their telematics to ensure that battery cells are performing as they should. The system also monitors charging stations to make sure they’re not impacting a battery pack in a dangerous way.
“In every battery pack, we monitor what the voltage and the current and the temperature of the cells are,” noted McKenzie. “And that's always getting collected and monitored by the battery management system. Then if there are any problems, a code is set off or you're told you're doing something improper to the battery.”
This includes noting if an electric vehicle is showing any decline in range or is being charged incorrectly. In particular, charging issues can arise due to loose battery cables, corrosion on the battery, or an issue with the charger itself.
And, of course, avoiding fires in the shop means technicians should have the proper equipment and training when approaching EVs. According to Talon Thomas, technical engineer for Noregon’s product management group in a Fleet Maintenance interview from 2021, this means equipping technicians with insulated screwdrivers and ratches as well as high-voltage gloves. Giving EVs a safe amount of space in the shop is also paramount.
“One of the things that stood out to me as a technician was when these vehicles did come in, unless you were trained for them, you would have to cordon off a bay to make everybody else in the shop aware of whatever was going on inside that bay,” Thomas explained.
