Specific fire safety challenges of electric vehicles
David Qi, RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers
Laurent Tribut, Schneider Electric
Significant new fire safety challenges posed by electric vehicles:
- High voltages, risk of electrostatic accumulation
- Increasing use of plastics in vehicles, to reduce weight and because of electrical insulation requirements, as well as increasing cables and electrical insulation
- Complex and sensitive electronic systems
- Specific fire risks from batteries
- Fire risks related to charging, including high voltages, outside weather and humidity, risk of arcing or of overheating
- Charging stations can result in significant fire loads in spaces initially not designed for this, such as garages
Regulators and car manufacturers are tending to strict fire safety requirements, combined with demanding technical and electrical characteristics, durability and aesthetics. Halogen-free is increasingly required both for sustainability reasons and to avoid release of corrosive halogens which can damage electronics. PIN flame retardants are used to address these requirements.
For further technical details, see summary above of presentations at the previous webinar.