Another Electric Car Fire? Vehicle Bursts into Flames After Hitting a Building—Is It Still Safe to Drive?

Yet another fire accident involving electric cars occurred in China. The vehicle caught fire after colliding with a building.

According to Chinese media, a fire broke out in a Sunlin Automobile SL03 model car last week at approximately 7:28 PM.

In the footage, the vehicle suddenly jumps into the air before coming to a stop. Then, flames erupt from underneath the car, prompting the driver and passenger to evacuate. The fire gradually extinguishes naturally after that.

The vehicle reportedly collided with a curb while driving, bouncing significantly and likely igniting the battery.

The company claimed, “The curb penetrated the bottom of the vehicle, breaching two battery cells and igniting a fire. We utilized our self-cooling design to extinguish the flames within 25 seconds, protecting personal and property safety.”

They also mentioned, “Since the launch of our electric vehicles, there have been no battery-related fires in over 200,000 vehicles.”

Recently, a similar incident happened in Geumsan, South Korea. This is the second time in South Korea after an underground parking lot fire incident in Incheon Cehonga International City.

At an apartment in Incheon, smoke started from an EV parked in the underground garage at around 6:10 AM on the 1st. It soon exploded and caused a massive fire. Authorities received over 200 reports about this incident.

Similarly, at around 5 AM on the 6th, reports were received that a vehicle parked on the first floor of a parking tower in Geumsan County was catching fire.

Firefighters responded with 12 fire trucks and 35 personnel, successfully extinguishing the fire by 6:37 AM, approximately 1 hour and 37 minutes later. Fortunately, there were casualties.

The government has expedited the mandatory battery information disclosure schedule as concerns about EV safety grow.

This mandatory disclosure forces EV manufacturers to test the safety of battery packs installed in their vehicles. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority or the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister will conduct the test.

Initially set to be implemented in February of next year, it expects to begin the pilot implementation for some vehicles this October, with full enforcement anticipated by the end of this year.