Renault Fixes Electric-Vehicle Fire Problem

Electric-vehicle fires have becoming an increasing concern for emergency services – not because the cars are more prone to fires, but because ‘thermal runaway’ makes extinguishing the flames extremely difficult.

Thermal runaway is a chemical reaction within the battery cell of an electric car – often caused in an accident or during a charging malfunction – which can quickly turn into a fire of up to 1000 degrees Celcius, taking hours to put out.

Up until now, the problem has caused fire departments to try to develop new techniques to extinguish batteries from electric vehicles.

However, French carmaker Renault has now developed a new way to help suppress these fires quickly – and it’s giving away its patents to the automotive industry.

Called ‘Fireman Access’, Renault has created a simple flap which helps keep the battery sealed under normal circumstances, but which becomes dislodged during a fire.

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The access hole allows water to quickly reach the battery cells, stopping thermal runaway from spreading and allowing the affected cells to be quickly drenched.

According to Renault, the battery fire can be extinguished in just a few minutes – significantly reducing the time and amount of water needed.

While Renault has opened the patents for any carmaker to adopt, it has stipulated a condition: should another manufacturer make upgrades to the design, it must share those innovations with the rest of the industry in the interest of community safety.

“Innovating to improve road safety is part of who we are at Renault,” Renault CEO Luca de Meo said.

“Fireman Access is a practical demonstration of what can be achieved by combining our expertise as a manufacturer with the skills of the men and women who keep us safe every day.

“Today, I'm delighted to be making this innovation freely available, because when it comes to a subject like safety, we need to break down all the barriers.”

Despite the difficulties in extinguishing battery fires, EV Firesafe – an initiative funded by the Australian Department of Defence – found Australia has dealt with six fires from electric vehicles, many of which were caused by batteries that had been removed from their cars.

One instance recorded was due to a Tesla Model 3 hitting road debris on a highway, causing damage to the battery and leading to a fire.