Emergency Management Strategies for Electric Vehicles

About the project:

Electric vehicle (EV) sales have steadily increased in recent years, representing 16.3% of new vehicle sales. The vast majority of EVs use high-voltage lithium-ion batteries. When these batteries are damaged in crashes, they are susceptible to thermal runaway where uncontrolled increases in temperature and pressure can lead to fires and reignition hours or days later. Conventional fire suppression techniques are often ineffective as cathode materials inside lithium-ion batteries release heat and oxygen when decomposing at high temperatures, creating instances where electric vehicles can burn even when submerged in water. This has led to electric vehicle fires which can burn at the roadside for several hours and reignite during and after transport from the scene, creating additional congestion and safety risks for responders. The unique characteristics of lithium-ion battery fires create new risks for emergency responders, and require new strategies and coordination among police, fire, tow companies, and VDOT. This project aims to assess the presence and risk of EV fires, review the state of the art and practice in EV fire suppression, coordinate with firefighters in Virginia and nationally, and identify methods for VDOT to support EV fire suppression.

Project Team

Principal Investigators