Plug-in electric vehicle fire

Numerous plug-in electric vehicle (EV) fire incidents have taken place since the introduction of mass-production plug-in electric vehicles. In some cases, an EV's battery (at least arguably) caused a fire. In other cases, an EV's battery did not cause a fire, but it added "fuel" to a fire. Technically: it is the "thermal propagation" properties of the battery pack which may, or may not, prevent it from getting involved in an automotive fire – even if one or more of the cells in the battery pack has overheated dangerously, the upholstery has already caught on fire, or the car's wiring harness is severely damaged.
According to one research group:
In 2013, based on two fire incidents occurring on U.S. public highways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary evaluation to determine if undercarriage strikes presented an undue fire risk on the 2013 Tesla Model S. An estimated population of 13,108 Model S cars were part of this initial investigation. Quoting from the final report on this investigation:
In 2017, NHTSA conducted a study "to assess potential Li-ion battery vehicle safety issues and provide NHTSA information it can use to assess needs and prioritize its future research activities on Li-ion battery vehicles":
In 2020, NHTSA denied a request for a defect investigation into all Tesla Model S and X cars manufactured between 2012 and 2019.
In 2021, NHTSA established a Battery Safety Initiative for Electric Vehicles "to coordinate research and other activities to address safety risks relating to batteries in electric vehicles."
In 2022, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, NHTSA's executive director commented on the risk of fire and reignition related to contact of a lithium-ion battery with salt water (seawater). He referenced some recent tests and studies on the subject.
As at December 2024, NHTSA planned to
In June 2011, the passive safety group (GRSP) of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations announced its intention to convene an Informal Working Group (IWG) on Electrical Vehicle Safety.
At its tenth meeting (in March 2016), this informal working group agreed on a two-step approach. Phase 1 would cover near-term critical safety requirements. Phase 2 would cover the remaining safety requirements which require longterm research as well as further improvement of global technical Regulation. Nine task forces were formed:
In December 2024, the informal working group reported that
The US Department of Energy maintains a website of Electric Vehicle Safety Training Resources for First and Second Responders.
About 6 a.m. on 17 November 2010, a fire broke out on the vehicle deck of the MS Pearl of Scandinavia on its way from Oslo to Copenhagen. The ferry's fire sprinkler system put out the fire before any of the crew or the 490 sleeping passengers were injured and the ship could dock in Copenhagen under its own power. It was determined that the cause of the fire was a short circuit in the plug of an extension cord used to charge a rebuilt Nissan Qashqai, converted into a battery electric vehicle by the Sakskøbing based company A Future EV. The company owner was returning from Norway where the vehicle had started the approval process for general sale there, and had used an extension cord to charge the vehicle from a general purpose power outlet on the ferry. The ferry operator DFDS Seaways consequently prohibited vehicle charging on board its ferries while the investors withdrew their support for the vehicle company forcing it into bankruptcy.
A Zotye M300 EV operating as a taxicab caught fire in Hangzhou, China, in April 2011. No one was injured as the driver and two passengers evacuated the electric car in time. Due to the incident, the city authorities decided to halt all electric taxis on safety concerns, 15 of which were M300 EVs out of a fleet of 30 electric taxis. The city's official investigation team found the cause of the fire was the car's defective battery pack due to lack of quality control during manufacturing. According to the investigation report, the battery pack problems include: leaking of battery cells; damage of the insulation between battery cells and the walls of the aluminum container in which the cells were stacked; short circuits occurred within certain containers and those involving supporting and connecting parts. One of the stronger short circuits ignited the car's back seats. The lead investigators said that "...in sealing and packing the battery cells, in loading and unloading the battery stacks, insufficient attention had been paid to several safety factors; monitoring procedures had been inefficient or neglected in the process of manufacturing, battery charging/switching, and vehicle driving, failing to detect anomalies." The report added that the battery cells on the car were made by Zhejiang Wanxiang Group.
As of August 2021, Electrek had compiled a list of 18 battery-related Chevrolet Bolt fires, and one possible-battery related fire. The frequent fires resulted in a recall of about 110,000 Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV EVs from the 2017 through 2022 model years.
Even after the recall, several fires occurred in vehicles that had received the new software and been checked by a dealer — including one in a vehicle owned by a Vermont state lawmaker. Another fire happened in New Jersey, the company told CNBC. GM says it's still investigating the fires, and is asking owners who haven't gotten the fix to take their Bolts in to a dealer regardless. At least nine fires have been documented, and the company has started buying back some Bolts. Moreover, the company recommended that Bolt owners park their cars outside and at least 50 feet away from other vehicles.
On September 13, 2021, a Chevrolet Bolt caught fire in a private garage in Cherokee County, Georgia, USA. The owner had either been unaware or simply ignored the recommendation to park outside.
As a result of a crash-tested Chevrolet Volt that caught fire in June 2011 three weeks after the testing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement saying that the agency does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles. They added: "In fact, all vehicles –both electric and gasoline-powered – have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash." The NHTSA announced in November 2011 that it was working with all automakers to develop post-crash procedures to keep occupants of electric vehicles and emergency personnel who respond to crash scenes safe.
In further testing of the Volt's batteries carried out by NHTSA in November 2011, two of the three tests resulted in thermal events, including fire. Therefore, the NHTSA opened a formal safety defect investigation on November 25, 2011, to examine the potential risks involved from intrusion damage to the battery in the Chevrolet Volt.
On January 5, 2012, General Motors announced that it would offer a customer satisfaction program to provide modifications to the Chevrolet Volt to reduce the chance that the battery pack could catch fire days or weeks after a severe accident. General Motors explained the modifications will enhance the vehicle structure that surround the battery and the battery coolant system to improve battery protection after a severe crash. The safety enhancements consist of strengthening an existing portion of the Volt's vehicle safety structure to further protect the battery pack in a severe side collision; add a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels; and add a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill. On January 20, 2012, the NHTSA closed the Volt's safety defect investigation related to post-crash fire risk. The agency concluded that "no discernible defect trend exists" and also found that the modifications recently developed by General Motors are sufficient to reduce the potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts. The NHTSA also said that "based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles." The agency also announced it has developed interim guidance to increase awareness and identify appropriate safety measures regarding electric vehicles for the emergency response community, law enforcement officers, tow truck operators, storage facilities and consumers.
In December 2011, Fisker Automotive recalled the first 239 Karmas delivered to the U.S. due to a risk of battery fire caused by coolant leak. Of the 239 cars, less than fifty had been delivered to customers, the rest were in dealerships. In the report filed by Fisker Automotive with the NHTSA, the carmaker said some hose clamps were not properly positioned, which could allow a coolant leak and an electrical short could possibly occur if coolant enters the battery compartment, causing a thermal event within the battery, including a possible fire. In May 2012 a Fisker Karma was involved in a home fire that also burnt two other cars in Fort Bend County, Texas. The chief fire investigator said the Karma was the origin of the fire that spread to the house, but the exact cause is still unknown. The plug-in hybrid electric car was not plugged in at the time the fire started and it was reported that the Karma's battery was intact. The carmaker release a public statement saying that "...there are conflicting reports and uncertainty surrounding this particular incident. The cause of the fire is not yet known and is being investigated." Fisker Automotive also stated that the battery pack "does not appear to have been a contributing factor in this incident." The NHTSA is conducting a field inquiry of the incident, and is working with insurance adjusters and Fisker to determine the fire's cause.
A second fire incident took place in August 2012 when a Karma caught fire while stopped at a parking lot in Woodside, California. According to Fisker engineers, the area of origin for the fire was determined to be outside the engine compartment, as the fire was located at the driver's side front corner of the car. The evidence suggested that the ignition source was not the lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components or unique exhaust routing. The investigation conducted by Fisker engineers and an independent fire expert concluded that the cause of the fire was a low temperature cooling fan located at the left front of the Karma, forward of the wheel. An internal fault caused the fan to fail, overheat and started a slow-burning fire. Fisker announced a voluntary recall on all Karmas sold to replace the faulty fan and install an additional fuse.
In May 2012, after a Nissan GT-R crashed into a BYD e6 taxi in Shenzhen, China, the electric car caught fire after hitting a tree killing all three occupants. The Chinese investigative team concluded that the cause of the fire was that "electric arcs caused by the short-circuiting of high voltage lines of the high voltage distribution box ignited combustible material in the vehicle including the interior materials and part of the power batteries." The team also noted that the battery pack did not explode; 75% of the single cell batteries did not catch fire; and no flaws in the safety design of the vehicle were identified.
On December 29, 2020, a BYD e6 taxi caught fire at an intersection in Luohu District, Shenzhen, China.
In July 2021, Dongchedi (Chinese: 懂车帝), a ByteDance's automotive media in China, performed a crash test of BYD Han EV versus Arcfox Alpha-S. Having been parked for 48 hours after the test, only the Han EV caught fire and burned to the ground.
On June 15, 2022, a BYD Han EV caught fire on a road in Xaysetha district, Vientiane, Laos.
On November 15, 2021, a BYD Tang EV caught fire in a workshop in Kristiansand, Norway.
On January 26, 2022, a BYD Tang DM-i (plug-in hybrid) caught fire on a flatbed tow truck, on a road in mainland China. By the such kind of transporting, it seems to be a malfunctioning car.
On May 28, 2020, a BYD Qin Pro EV caught fire at a charging station in Shenzhen, China.
On October 28, 2020, a BYD Qin Pro EV caught fire after charging completed in Yantai, Shandong province, China.
On November 22, 2021, a BYD Qin Pro EV caught fire in an underground parking lot in Beijing, China.
On February 13, 2022, a BYD Qin Plus DM-i (plug-in hybrid) caught fire on a road in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, China.
On September 3, 2023, a BYD Atto 3 suffered smoke and heat damage to the engine compartment when charging at a charging station in Mueang Udon Thani district, Udon Thani, Thailand. Investigation showed that the damage was caused by a wire attached to the 12 V lead–acid battery, not the vehicle's main EV battery pack.
In September 2012, Chrysler temporarily suspended a demonstration program that it was conducting with 109 Dodge Ram 1500 Plug-in Hybrids and 23 Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrids. All units deployed in the program were recalled due to damage sustained by three separate pickup trucks when their 12.9 kWh battery packs overheated. The carmaker plans to upgrade the battery packs with cells that use a different lithium-ion chemistry before the vehicles go back on service. Chrysler explained that no one was injured from any of the incidents, and the vehicles were not occupied at the time, nor any of the minivans were involved in any incident, but they were withdrawn as a precaution. The carmaker reported that the demonstration fleet had collectively accumulated 1.3 million miles (2.1 million km) before the vehicles were recalled. The demonstration is a program jointly funded by Chrysler and the U.S. Department of Energy that includes the first-ever factory-produced vehicles capable of reverse power flow. The experimental system would allow fleet operators to use their plug-in hybrids to supply electricity for a building during a power outage, reduce power usage when electric rates are high or even sell electricity back to their utility company.
In separate incidents during the storm and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy on the night of October 29, 2012, one Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and 16 Fisker Karmas caught fire while being parked at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. The vehicles were partially submerged by flash floods caused by the hurricane. In the case of the Toyota's incident, a Prius PHV burned and two other Priuses, a conventional hybrid and a plug-in, just smoldered. A Toyota spokeswoman said the fire "likely started because saltwater got into the electrical system." She also clarified that the incident affected only three cars out of the 4,000 Toyotas that were at the terminal during the storm, including more than 2,128 plug-in or hybrid models. Fisker Automotive spokesman said that the Karmas were not charging at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. After an investigation by Fisker engineers, witnessed by NHTSA representatives, the company said that the origin of the fire was "residual salt damage inside a Vehicle Control Unit submerged in seawater for several hours. Corrosion from the salt caused a short circuit in the unit, which led to a fire when the Karma's 12-Volt battery fed power into the circuit." The company explained that Sandy's heavy winds spread that fire to other Karmas parked nearby, and also ruled out the vehicles' lithium-ion battery packs as a cause of, or a contributing factor to, the fire.
In March 2013, Mitsubishi Motors reported two separate incidents with lithium-ion batteries used in its plug-in electric cars, one with a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car and the other with an Outlander P-HEV plug-in hybrid. The battery packs are produced by GS Yuasa, the same company that supplies the batteries for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, whose entire fleet was grounded in January 2013 for battery problems. The lithium-ion battery of an i-MiEV caught fire at the Mizushima battery pack assembly plant on March 18 while connected to a charge-discharge test equipment. Three days later, the battery pack of an Outlander P-HEV at a dealership in Yokohama overheated and melted some of the battery cells, after the vehicle had been fully charged and stood for one day. Nobody was injured in either incident.
Mitsubishi did not issue a recall but halted production and sales of the two models until it determines the causes of the battery problems. The carmaker advised owners of the Outlander plug-in hybrid to drive only on gasoline mode for the time being. In the case of the i-MiEV, the problem is related with a change in GS Yuasa manufacturing process, and Mitsubishi called fleet-vehicle operators with i-MiEVs whose batteries were made under the same process as those that overheated and is working on a possible fix. In August 2013, and after changing a production process to avoid damaging any batteries, Mitsubishi restarted production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid.
In May 2019, an Outlander caught fire after immersion in salt water. The vehicle was being used to haul a boat trailer out of the water at a Port Moody boat ramp when the driver lost control. After a tow truck recovered the Outlander, what appears to be the battery pack caught fire.
The following list of Tesla car fires is not comprehensive.
A Tesla Model S caught fire after the vehicle hit debris on a highway in Kent, Washington, on October 1, 2013. According to the driver, he hit something while traveling in the HOV lane of Washington State Route 167, and exited because the car reported a problem and told him to stop. Flames began coming out of the front of the car at the end of the off-ramp, so the driver left the car. According to the Kent Fire Department incident report, initial attempts to extinguish the fire with water were unsuccessful, as the fire reignited underneath the vehicle after appearing to be extinguished. Then, the firefighters cut a hole to apply water directly to the burning battery. According to Tesla, the car owner was alerted by onboard systems to stop the car and exit the vehicle, which he did without injury. On 24 October 2013, the NHTSA announced it will not open a formal investigation into the Model S fire incident, saying that they had not found evidence that the fire was caused by a vehicle defect or noncompliance.
A second reported fire occurred on October 18, 2013, in Merida, Mexico. In this case, the vehicle was being driven at high speed through a roundabout and crashed through a wall and into a tree.
A Tesla Model S being driven on Interstate 24 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee caught fire on November 6, 2013, after it struck a tow hitch on the roadway, causing damage beneath the vehicle. Subsequently, the company announced its decision to extend its current vehicle warranty to cover fire damage and to apply a software update on Model S cars to increase the ground clearance of the Model S when driving at highway speed.
On November 15, 2013, a fire broke out in an Irvine, California garage where a Tesla Model S was plugged in and charging. The fire appears to have originated at the wall connection where the Tesla charging equipment was plugged in. Shortly afterwards, Tesla updated the Model S firmware to reduce charging current when power fluctuations were detected and replaced wall adapters with a new unit containing a thermal fuse.
On November 18, 2013, Tesla released a software update to the air suspension system to increase the ground clearance at highway speeds, and agreed to cooperate with the NHTSA on a formal investigation of recent incidents involving Tesla S vehicles.
Another fire incident took place in Toronto, Canada, in early February 2014. The Model S was parked in a garage, and it was not plugged in or charging when the fire started. As of February 14, 2014, the origin of the fire was still unknown. Tesla's response was that "[i]n this particular case, we don't yet know the precise cause, but have definitively determined that it did not originate in the battery, the charging system, the adapter or the electrical receptacle, as these components were untouched by the fire."
On March 28, 2014, the NHTSA announced that it had closed the investigation into whether the Model S design was making the electric car prone to catch fire, after the automaker said it would provide more protection to its lithium-ion batteries. According to the NHTSA, the titanium underbody shield and aluminum deflector plates, along with increased ground clearance, reduce the severity, frequency, and fire risk of underbody strikes. All Model S cars manufactured after March 6 have the 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) aluminum shield over the battery pack replaced with a new three-layer shield designed to protect the battery and charging circuitry from being punctured even in very high speed impacts. The new shielding features a hollow aluminum tube to deflect impacting objects, a titanium shield to protect sensitive components from puncture damage, and an aluminum extrusion to absorb impact energy. The new shields, which decrease vehicle range by 0.1%, will be installed free-of-charge in existing Model S vehicles by request or during the next scheduled maintenance. According to the NHTSA, the titanium underbody shield and aluminum deflector plates, along with increased ground clearance, "should reduce both the frequency of underbody strikes and the resultant fire risk."
In response to an incident in July 2014, the NHTSA contracted with Dynamic Science, Inc to investigate a "fire in a 2013 Tesla Model S that resulted from a multi-event crash." Among the findings of the investigation was that the firefighters
A fire occurred in a Tesla Model S charging at a Tesla Supercharger in Norway on January 1, 2016. The fire was slow, and the owner had time to unplug the car and retrieve possessions. An investigation by the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) indicated that the fire originated in the car, but was otherwise inconclusive. In March 2016, Tesla stated that their own investigation into the incident concluded that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the vehicle's distribution box, but that the amount of damage prevented them from determining the exact cause. Tesla stated that the Supercharger detected the short circuit and deactivated, and a future Model S software update would stop the vehicle from charging if a short circuit is detected.
On August 15, 2016, a new Tesla Model S 90D spontaneously caught fire during a promotional test drive in Biarritz, France. Following a sudden, loud noise the dashboard presented the driver with a warning of a "charging" problem. Following advice from a passenger Tesla employee, the driver pulled over and all three occupants safely exited the vehicle. Moments later the vehicle started burning and although firefighters quickly arrived, the fire completely destroyed the vehicle within 5 minutes. Tesla subsequently determined that the vehicle in question had a "bolted electrical connection" which would normally have been tightened by a robot, but which in this case had been "improperly tightened" by a human, causing the fire.
On August 25, 2017, the driver of a Model X lost control of the vehicle, which went over an embankment and struck a garage in Lake Forest, California, starting a fire that damaged the car and structure. The NTSB stated the resulting battery fire was under investigation.
On May 8, 2018, an 18-year-old lost control of his Tesla Model S while driving 116 mph in a 30 mph zone and hit the curb, a wall, the curb and a light pole causing the battery pack to ignite; the car was reportedly modified to be limited to a top speed of 85 mph. The driver and passenger died in the crash and subsequent fire. The battery pack reignited twice, requiring fire fighters to extinguish the burning battery pack three times. In reaction to this accident, Tesla sent an over-the-air firmware update that allows limiting the top speed to between 50 and 90 mph dedicated to the deceased driver.
On May 10, 2018, a Tesla S caught fire after hitting the guard-rail on the Swiss A2 highway on Monte Ceneri, between Lugano and Bellinzona, killing the 48-year-old German driver.
On June 16, 2018, pedestrians on a Los Angeles street alerted a driver of a Tesla Model S that smoke was emanating from his vehicle. The driver pulled over and safely exited the vehicle and flames started shooting out from under it. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which left the cabin unaffected. The National Transportation Safety Board subsequently stated that they would monitor Tesla's investigation of the fire to learn more about fires in battery-powered vehicles, while the NHTSA stated that it collects information regarding the incident and would take action as warranted.
On February 8, 2019, A Tesla Model S caught on fire in a private garage in Pittsburgh. Two months later, on April 8, it caught on fire again, while it was under investigation. On February 24, 2019, a Tesla Model S that crashed into a tree burst into flames and burned its driver beyond recognition Sunday evening along Flamingo Road in Davie, Florida, then repeatedly caught fire after being brought to the tow yard used by police. Also on February 24, 2019, a Tesla Model X was consumed by fire in the middle of frozen Lake Champlain. More than two years later, the investigation concluded that the car had been set on fire and the owner was charged with federal fraud. On April 21, 2019, a Tesla Model S was exploded in an underground garage in Shanghai, China. Five cars were damaged by the fire.
On May 4, 2019, a Tesla Model S, not plugged in, with smoke observed near the rear right tire. Then, on May 13, 2019, a Tesla Model S, caught on fire while parked in Hong Kong. On June 1, 2019, a Tesla Model S burned down while supercharging in Belgium. On August 10, 2019, a Tesla Model 3 collided with a truck on a high-speed road in Moscow, Russia, and subsequently burned down. On November 12, 2019, a Tesla Model X from 2017 burst into flames while charging, leaving the vehicle completely destroyed in Chester, England.
On January 19, 2021, a Tesla Model 3 exploded in an underground residential parking garage in Shanghai on Tuesday, Chinese media reported. In July 2021, one of the first 250 issued Model S Plaids spontaneously burst into fire as its owner was driving it. In September 2021 alone, there were five fire related incidents involving Tesla's. On February 22, 2022, State Farm sued Tesla after another home was destroyed by fire.
On April 10, 2022, in Nashua, New Hampshire, a brand-new Tesla Model S lost control and struck a tree at high speed, igniting the battery pack. Nashua Fire said, in a social media post, "These electric vehicle fires pose some unique challenges and fire crews were on scene for an extended time to complete extinguishment." Six days later, it rekindled at a tow yard. According to Deputy Chief Kevin Kerrigan, crews knocked down the flames enough to get close to the vehicle and, using equipment, rolled the vehicle over to access the battery compartment under the car. The bottom of the vehicle had a protection plate over the batteries and firefighters worked to remove it while the vehicle continued to burn. Once the plate was removed, crews continued to use water and specially rated extinguishers. No one was injured in the incident, and the vehicle will continue to be monitored for rekindling.
On July 22, 2022, Jimmy Lin was driving a Tesla Model X in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and crashed into a traffic island, then the car caught fire.
On September 1, 2015, a Nissan Leaf caught fire and was destroyed on a road in Flower Mound, Texas without causing injuries. The cause of the fire was not confirmed.
On October 16, 2020, a Nissan Leaf and a residential house burned down in the village of Sychavka in Odesa Raion, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine. It is unclear whether the fire started in the house or in the car. A resident of the house died in the fire.
On November 3, 2020, a Nissan Leaf caught fire in Chornomorsk near Odesa, Ukraine, leaving the car completely destroyed. The police suspected arson.
On July 8, 2021, a Nissan Leaf caught fire in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, while charging at a public charing station outside a shopping centre.
On August 28, 2021, a Nissan Leaf caught fire while parked outside in Saga, Japan. According to the owner, the car had been left outside after heavy rainfall in the area and suddenly caught fire two weeks later.
On September 14, 2021, a Nissan Leaf caught fire in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, probably while charging via an extension cord.
Also on September 14, 2021, a 2017 Nissan Leaf caught fire in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, the cause being unknown.
On August 14, 2021, a VW ID.3 caught fire in Groningen, Netherlands. The driver had just put her child in the car when the car began to smoke. She managed to save her child and stepped away from the vehicle. According to witnesses, at least five loud blasts were heard, after each of which the fire seemed to intensify.
On August 23, 2021, a VW ID.3 caught fire while travelling in Kellmünz, Germany. According to the driver, the car displayed several error messages, and suddenly he noticed smoke. The car was submerged in water by the firefighters.
On September 14, 2021, a VW ID.3 caught fire while travelling near the Lunner Tunnel in Lunner municipality, Norway. The driver, who noticed the smoke while driving, was not injured.
On October 27, 2021, a VW ID.3 caught fire in a parking lot in Brühl, Germany.
On November 21, 2021, a VW ID.4 caught fire while charging in a parking garage in Ravensburg, Germany.
On December 7, 2017, a VW e-Golf caught fire in Triangel, Germany. Responding for the first time to a high-voltage battery electric vehicle fire, the firefighters first cooled the vehicle then moved it into a container which they then filled with water.
On September 3, 2021, a VW e-Golf caught fire in Dumbrăviţa, Romania. The firefighters used a container to submerge the car in water.
In June 2023, a Volkswagen ID. Buzz reportedly exploded and then caught fire a few days later whilst it was charging in Finland. However, reports state that it may have actually been caused by an electrical fault inside the charging unit rather than the vehicle itself.
On March 16, 2018, a Panamera E-Hybrid that was plugged into a household outlet for charging in Thailand burst into flames.
On May 1, 2019, a Panamera E-Hybrid caught fire after colliding violently against a pillar of a bridge in Leça, Matosinhos, Portugal. It carried 6 people, 2 died in the fire, another 2 died of injuries in the hospital "including the driver" 2 others survived
On February 16, 2020, a Porsche Taycan burned while parked in a residential garage in Florida, after which Porsche started investigating the incident.
On April 2, 2021, a Porsche Taycan caught fire while charging in Skjeberg, Norway.
On October 12, 2021, a new Porsche Taycan caught fire in Red Hill, Victoria, Australia. The vehicle had just been driven into a local estate, when smoke began coming out from under the bonnet. As the fire shut down the 12-volt electrical system, the firefighters were unable to open the bonnet to get at the lithium battery. Reputedly, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo was the only car of its kind in Australia.
On 17 August 2021, a battery prototype for electric cars caught fire at the Porsche Engineering site in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
On June 11, 2021, a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq caught fire in Sehnde-Müllingen, Germany.
On November 13, 2021, a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq caught fire in Haßfurt, Germany. According to local police, the fire was caused either by a technical issue or arson.
The first reported Hyundai Kona fire took place in Hyundai's Ulsan production plant in May 2018.
A second fire also occurred on the Ulsan production line on August 16, 2018.
On July 26, 2019, a Kona Electric was parked in a residential garage in Montreal, Canada. The owner reported that the car was not plugged in at the time. An unprovoked fire began, and this triggered an explosion that projected the garage door across the street and caused damage to the attached structure. There were no injuries.
Another Kona Electric caught fire while charging in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea on July 28, 2019.
A fire in a Kona Electric occurred in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on August 9, 2019. The flames began at the floor of the rear seat of the vehicle, which was parked at the time.
On August 13, 2019, a Kona Electric caught fire while being charged in an underground parking level at an apartment in Sejong City, South Korea. The vehicle was completely destroyed.
On September 17, 2019, in Leonstein, Austria a battery fire reportedly occurred while driving.
On April 2, 2020, a Kona EV fire occurred in Gyeonggi Ansan South Korea while parked after a full charge.
On May 29, 2020, a Kona EV which after full charge at the electric charging station in Sangyeok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, Korea caught on fire. The fire went out in two hours, but the vehicle was completely burned, causing 29 million won of property damage.
On August 7, 2020, another Kona EV fire occurred in Buk-gu, Daegu City South Korea while charging.
On August 24, 2020, Kona EV fire occurred in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk South Korea while parked after a full charge.
Kona EV caught fire on Jeju Island, South Korea on Sept. 26, 2020. The vehicle was parked, connected to an EV charger inside the parking lot of an apartment building.
On October 4, 2020, a Hyundai Kona electric vehicle (EV) burst into flames in the early hours of Sunday morning while parked in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Daegu, South Korea.
The 14th Kona electric vehicle fire accident occurred at 3:41 am on October 17, 2020, at the electric vehicle rapid charging site at the Wabu-eup Community Service Center, Namyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
On October 18, 2020, Hyundai Motor, citing an investigation by Korea's transport ministry acknowledged a battery issue that led to a worldwide recall of 77,000 Kona EVs.
On January 23, 2021, The fire mysteriously broke out at a Kona Electric being charged at a taxi company in Yucheon-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu at 4:11 p.m. on Jan. 23. The battery underneath the vehicle was identified as the ignition point.
A fire broke out in a Kona EV parked in a pension near a beach in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do South Korea on the 18th of June 2021.
Emergency services in Oslo, Norway were called out to Båhusveien on Sinsen on June 16, 2021, to extinguish a Kona EV fire
On July 1, 2021, a Hyundai Kona Electric caught fire in an underground parking lot in Saesam Village 3, Boram-dong, Sejong-si, South Korea
On July 4, 2021, another Hyundai Kona Electric caught fire in Oslo, Norway.
On July 12, 2021, a Hyundai Kona Electric caught fire in an accident in Alver, Norway.
On July 30, 2021, a Hyundai Kona Electric caught fire in Rhaudermoor, Germany.
On August 31, 2022, A Kona caught fire while it was parked in an underground parking lot in Quebec City, Canada
On January 20, 2021, an Audi E-Tron Sportback caught fire near a car dealership in Munich, Germany, causing nearby windows to burst.
On February 16, 2021, an Audi E-Tron caught fire near Skaret, Norway. The fire was likely caused by an electric drill, not the car itself.
On 30 July 2021, an Audi E-Tron GT caught fire while charging at a public charging station in Munich, Germany. Both the car and the charging station was destroyed in the fire.
On November 11, 2020, a BMW i3 caught fire in Vorendaal, Netherlands, while connected to a charging station.
On April 22, 2021, the mayor's BMW i3 caught fire in Alpen, Germany.
On April 27, 2021, a BMW i3 caught fire in a private garage in Schorndorf, Germany.
On May 3, 2021, a BMW i3-REx caught fire while travelling between Picton and Nelson in New Zealand. The fire was preceded by a warning on the car's dashboard "can't continue journey, please contact dealership immediately". After pulling over at the first safe location, flames were seen licking from under the rear wheel arch. The occupants were able to exit the vehicle without harm, and remove most of their luggage before the fire intensified. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The cause of the fire is unknown.
On July 6, 2021, a BMW i3 suddenly caught fire while travelling in Warsaw, Poland. The driver managed to escape the vehicle.
On August 28, 2021, a BMW i3 burned out in Berlin-Halensee, Germany. The fire was likely caused by arson.
On August 30, 2021, an electric BMW prototype caught fire while parked within the BMW premises in Eching, Germany. Once extinguished by the firefighters, the car reignited and had to be submerged in water. The exact cause is unknown.
On October 7, 2021, a BMW i3 caught fire in a parking lot in Chester, United Kingdom.
On March 25, 2019. According to the fire department in Tilburg, the Netherlands, the BMW i8 began to smoke while in the car dealership. The staff called the fire service. The BMW i8 was put in a water tank, which may also contain other substances, in order to prevent the vehicle battery from exploding. (Tilburg, the Netherlands)
On October 4, 2020, a Renault Zoe caught fire in Karmøy, Norway. Local residents were evacuated from a nearby building as a precaution.
On December 15, 2020, a Renault Zoe caught fire while parked in the Bjørndal suburb of Oslo, Norway.
On December 30, 2020, a 2017 Renault Zoe caught fire in a parking garage in Sandvika, Norway.
On January 3, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire while connected to a charging station in Illingen-Hüttigweiler, Germany. Parked next to the Zoe was another electric car, a Škoda Citigo e-iV, that also caught fire.
On January 25, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire while travelling in Quimperlé, France. The driver and his daughter managed to exit the car without any injuries.
On January 29, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire while charging at a public charging station in Teterow, Germany. The police suspected the cause to be arson.
On February 16, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire while parked (and possibly charging) in Bamberg, Germany.
On February 17, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire in the Amberg Tunnel near Feldkirch, Austria. The driver managed to exit the tunnel through the north entrance and stopped on the shoulder, where the firefighters subsequently extinguished the fire.
On May 31, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire in a private parking lot in Mulhouse, France.
On June 13, 2021, a Renault Zoe suddenly burst into flames while on the road near Villeneuve-lès-Béziers, France, injuring both occupants, one of whom suffered severe burns.
On July 20, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire while charging at a public charging station in Stadskanaal, Netherlands.
On August 14, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire in Stolberg, Germany.
On November 11, 2021, a Renault Zoe caught fire in Vennesla, Norway. The driver had to rescue her baby from the burning car.
On September 8, 2021, a Peugeot e-208 caught fire while charging in Oslo, Norway. Because of the potentially toxic smoke, local residents were asked to keep their windows shut until the fire was completely extinguished.
On the morning of December 19, 2022, a Peugeot e-208 GT caught fire while parked on a suburban street in Wellington, New Zealand. The fire engulfed the front of the vehicle, destroying everything forward of the firewall. The traction battery was not affected, however, the possibility of the 12 V battery in the front being involved has not been ruled out. A fire risk recall concerning this front battery was issued internationally in 2020. It said, that “due to an error in the manufacturing process, a short circuit may occur in the battery located under the front bonnet.”
On June 27, 2022, a Peugeot e-208 caught fire, while being charged in a home garage in Dynin, Czech Republic.
On October 21, 2021, two fully electric Peugeot Partners caught fire in Trondheim, Norway.
On November 15, 2021, a fully electric Peugeot Partner caught fire in Sortland, Norway. According to the occupants, they noticed the flames while looking for a parking spot and then quickly exited the van.
On September 21, 2021, a Fiat 500e crashed into a tree near Schmogrow-Fehrow, Germany, and caught fire. The driver was injured and taken to hospital.
On September 17, 2021, a SAIC Roewe i6 Max crashed into a newspaper stand in Huizhou, China, and caught fire, leaving six people dead and another 13 injured.
On September 11, 2020, a Jaguar I-Pace crashed into a tree and caught fire in Oslo, Norway.
On August 23, 2021, a Jaguar I-Pace caught fire while parked near Redmond, Oregon, USA. The battery melted and it took around two hours to put out the fire.
On October 25, 2021, a Jaguar I-Pace caught fire while charging in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. The fire reignited several times.
On May 5, 2023, a Jaguar I-Pace caught fire in underground garage in Prague, Czech Republic.
On July 30, 2021, an electric Nio EC6 crashed into a guardrail in Shanghai, China, and caught fire. The driver died in the accident.
On April 22, 2019, an electric Nio ES8 caught fire at a Nio service center in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. According to the investigation report, the short circuit of battery was caused by chassis deformation after a collision of the car.
On May 16, 2019, a Nio ES8 caught fire in Anting, Jiading District, Shanghai, China.
On June 10, 2017, during the filming of Series 2 for The Grand Tour, journalist and presenter Richard Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One after crossing the finish line during his last run of a timed hill climb course during the Bergrennen Hemberg event. As he did so, the car ran off the road, 110 meters (360 ft) down a hill. It landed upside down, and the car subsequently caught fire. It continued to spontaneously do so for five days afterwards. Hammond survived with just a broken leg.
In August 2022, BMW recalled the BMW i4 and BMW iX models due to a risk of catching fire due to a battery issue. In June 2022, BMW was aware of incidents of a iX xDrive50 catching fire in the United States and a iX M60 catching fire outside of the United States.
On July 29, 2021, a StreetScooter caught fire in a workshop in Trier, Germany, due to a fault in the battery. As a result, the workshop building was so unstable it had to be demolished.
The Norwegian ferry MF Ytterøyningen operated by Norled was delivered in 2006 and is equipped with a Corvus Orca Energy storage system (ESS) with 1,989 kWh capacity. A small fire was reported on October 10, 2019, in the battery room. The ferry returned to harbor under its own power, where passengers and crew were evacuated to land. Overnight, however, a serious gas explosion rocked the battery room causing significant damage. Norwegian authorities have issued a statement and hazard warning.
Norwegian broadcasting company NRK reported that twelve firefighters were taken to hospital for exposure to hazardous gases associated with the batteries.
On April 29, 2022, RATP withdrew 149 Bolloré Bluebus 5SE busses from service, after two separate fires within a month.
On September 30, 2021, 25 busses were destroyed after a fire at a SBB bus depot in Stuttgart, Germany. It is suspected that the fire started from a Mercedes eCitaro electric bus while charging.
Okinawa electric scooter catches fire in Chennai, first such incident after recall notice. While riding, owner noticed smoke coming out from e-scooter. The electric scooter got totally damaged due to the fire.
On May 12, 2023, a Dacia Spring caught fire while being driven, near Timisoara, Romania. The owner stated that there were some noises in the back and 15 minutes later the car was engulfed in fire.
On July 24, 2023, a Dacia Spring Caught fire in Cluj, Romania.
On August 18, 2024, a Deepal SL03 caught fire in mainland China when driving on a stone tiled surface, a broken stone tile hit the car hard from the under. The sharp corners of the stone tile tore the battery bottom plate, pierced two battery cells, and the battery cells caught fire.
On December 17, 2024, an Ora Good Cat 500 Ultra caught fire when parking in Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand. The news sparked widespread curiosity about what caused the fire. Later, there was a CCTV footage showing a suspicious man setting the car on fire, so it is clearly an arson. Great Wall Motor Thailand states that the high-voltage battery of this EV did not catch fire, even though the fire engulfed almost all other parts of this EV.
On January 7, 2025, a Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV while charging in a carport of a house in Khan Na Yao district, Bangkok, Thailand, a lot of smoke appeared and then fire broke out, burned the car and the carport roof. The car owner said that he had used the car for 4 years and had it checked regularly. However, in the past 4-5 months or so, a dashboard warning light had warned that the EV battery had a problem, so he took it to a Volvo service center and found that there was a problem with one of the battery cells. It was fixed and he was able to use it normally without any further signs until the fire occurred.
In October 2023, a fire in Valencia caused the pitlane to be evacuated and the pre-season test to be delayed by a day and half.
E-bikes are banned in many buildings in New York City because of the fire hazard.
E-scooters and e-unicycles are banned from the Transport for London network.
Raja Ferry Port, a Ko Samui ferry service provider, has announced the ban of EVs use ferry services, effective on November 18, 2024. It claims that there is a risk of overheating batteries that could cause a fire. However, Seatran Ferry, another Ko Samui ferry service provider, does not fully ban EVs, but EV owners will be required to sign a disclaimer in case any incidents occur with their EVs.