E-mobility: What to do when there's a fire?

One of them concerns the case that no one would wish for, namely when an accident occurs. In a simulated crash at the Dynamic Test Center DTC in Vauffelin, Baloise Insurance demonstrates how the entire rescue chain is affected by the high-voltage technology of an e-mobile and the chemical composition of modern batteries.

Spontaneous spontaneous combustion of the battery
After the accident, the basic procedure of the rescue forces is not changed. However, ambulance, fire department and towing services have to adjust to new dangers. On the one hand, it must be ensured that there is no voltage on the car body (emergency switch), and on the other hand, everyone must be aware of the danger that, in rare exceptional cases, spontaneous battery ignition can occur.Increasingly, the rescue chain services are now working on a solution in which the vehicle type can be automatically recognized by license plate scanning, so that the emergency services know when they arrive at the scene of the accident whether they are facing the problem of high-voltage.

Vehicle was deliberately set on fire
At the DTC, the rescue procedure was acted out and an additionally installed battery in the car was deliberately set on fire at the Safety Training Center in Büren an der Aare. This refuted the statement that the lithium-ion battery cannot be extinguished. However, it does require a large amount of water to stop the fire spreading by cooling the cells. However, the latter is not always easy in the well-encapsulated batteries of e-mobiles.

The the entire course of the rescue chain, from the crash to the rescue and removal to the fire of the battery.
The Crash in slow motion from different angles.

Pictures and films Schatzmann, DTC, Baloise

Baloise.com
DTC Dynamic Test Center