Following an EV fire in an underground garage in Seoul, South Korean officials have met to discuss electric vehicle safety according to a Reuters report. The major topic for discussion was whether manufacturers should be mandated to disclose the battery brand used in their vehicles.
The fire on the first of August started from an unplugged Mercedes-Benz EV parked in the underground garage of an apartment block. The fire took over eight hours to put out, forcing over 200 families to evacuate, and damaging about 140 cars in the process.
South Korea’s vice environment minister is heading the meeting. It will also be attended by the transport and industry ministries and the national fire agency, an official said, with the government due to announce new rules soon.
According to media reports, transport ministry officials will hold talks with automakers to discuss the proposal. Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz Korea and Volkswagen Group Korea will be part of the manufacturers in attendance.
Earlier in August, Kia’s electric crossover EV6 with SK On’s batteries also caught fire in another parking lot. These incidents have sparked fear about EVs in both electric vehicle owners and people that live in such apartments.
The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters in February reported 1,399 fires occurred in underground parking lots in South Korea between 2013 and 2022. Of that number, 43.7% were attributed to vehicles and 53%attributed to electric sources.
As at the time of writing this report, there hasn’t been any official statement from either the ministry or the car manufacturers.
Though on Saturday, Hyundai Motor Co. listed the manufacturers of batteries for their 13 EV models on their website. This happened after they got a lot of requests asking for their names. With Hyundai Motor Co. leading the way, we will see if other manufacturers involved will follow suit.
