Recent electric vehicle fire in Normal raises safety concerns

[August 27, 2024]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – After nearly 60 electric vehicles went up in flames at Rivian’s EV manufacturing plant in Normal, questions remain.

The fire destroyed high-priced EVs waiting to be shipped to customers. The cause is still unknown. This incident follows a fire last month in which three Rivian Amazon Electric Delivery Vans ignited at a fulfillment center in Texas. It is just another blow to Rivian, which recently received $827 million in tax incentives from the state of Illinois to expand operations.

EV fires are making news globally. The South Korean news outlet CNA is reporting that EV owners are scrambling to unload their cars after several highly publicized EV fires.

On Aug. 1, a Mercedes-Benz electric sedan caught fire in the underground garage of an apartment in the South Korean city of Incheon. The blaze took over eight hours to extinguish and damaged more than 100 cars. More than 20 people suffered smoke inhalation.

To dampen the panic, the Hyundai Motor Group launched a free inspection program for owners of Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs in the home market.

While EV fires are statistically less common than combustion vehicle fires, they pose challenges. EV fires can be more difficult to extinguish, often requiring specialized equipment.

In Illinois, a measure Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed earlier this month requires companies that store certain battery types to register with the Environmental Protection Agency prior to February 2026 and maintain records related to the weight or volume of batteries stored.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker during an announcement at Rivian in Normal. - Governor JB Pritzker / Faceboo

“Several years ago, there was a person who was illegally storing all kinds of EV batteries in a warehouse in town and no one knew that this was happening and the batteries caught on fire," said state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris. “There were over 400,000 pounds of illegally stored EV batteries that no one knew were there until the fire started.”

According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, there are just over 111,000 EVs registered in the state.

Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Engine Technology Forum, said there will always be room in this world for gas-powered engines.

“We think that the internal combustion engine still has plenty of useful life left and has a great opportunity to contribute substantially to helping reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions in the years ahead,” said Schaeffer during a recent webinar.

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