If you ask a traditional fuel vehicle enthusiast why they don't choose new energy vehicles when buying a car, their answer, besides sentimentality, range and resale value, also includes the reason that the self-ignition rate is relatively high. You may think that with so many years of development in new energy vehicles, will there still be frequent cases of spontaneous combustion?
The answer is definitely yes. The self-ignition of electric vehicles has always been a matter of great concern in society and is also a key factor in determining whether electric vehicles can become mainstream in the future. After all, one's own life is more important than how far one can go on a single charge.
The power of lithium batteries is widely recognized by everyone. For instance, if a lithium battery in devices like smartphones, which typically have only a few thousand milliampere-hours, gets punctured accidentally, it will explode. While this may not result in severe injuries, it can still be quite alarming. News frequently covers incidents where electric bicycles explode and cause harm or even fatalities due to improper charging practices. Moreover, the capacity of new energy vehicle batteries ranges from tens to hundreds of degrees; hence one can imagine the magnitude of their power after spontaneous combustion.
Of course, we cannot choose to reject electric vehicles just because of the risk of spontaneous combustion. After all, there is always a risk associated with any activity, as long as we take proper safety measures, it is entirely possible to minimize the accident rate close to zero.
At present, the main reasons for spontaneous combustion of new energy vehicles are battery aging, external collisions, high temperature weather, failure of electronic control systems, and prolonged operation under high loads.
Regarding preventive measures, the experienced driver would like to share a few points with everyone.
Firstly, it is necessary to regularly inspect the integrity of the wiring harness in vehicles to reduce occurrences of electrical leakage and short circuits. Although electric vehicles require less maintenance time compared to fuel-powered cars, it is still important to be vigilant as accidents can arise from multiple minor issues.
Through numerous news reports of electric vehicles spontaneously combusting, a significant portion of these incidents occur while the vehicle is being charged. During the charging process, it is advisable to minimize overcharging as much as possible. Although electric cars are equipped with energy management systems, in high outdoor temperatures during summer, the heat generated by internal chemical reactions within the battery becomes more intense and causes higher charging temperatures than usual. If there is a misjudgment by the control system, it can easily lead to overheating and spontaneous combustion.
As mentioned earlier, lithium batteries are most vulnerable to puncture, and the road conditions can be quite complex with chances of gravel, tree branches, or even nails appearing on the surface. Therefore, manufacturers always install protective casings on the exterior of the battery to ensure that deformation or puncture does not occur.
However, many accidents are often caused by poor driving habits. For example, driving over road curbs can lead to battery deformation and increase the risk of short circuits and temperature rise, resulting in spontaneous combustion. This is especially true for future hardcore off-road vehicles powered by new energy sources, as they will be exposed to even harsher environments where collisions with curbs are common occurrences. Therefore, higher protection requirements for the battery casing are necessary.
The last one is modification, but now this kind of situation is relatively rare. Electric bikes are mostly modified in terms of shock absorption, wheel hubs, and brakes. However, it is inevitable that as the scale grows larger in the future, more profound modifications will also appear, which may involve modifying wiring harnesses. If the technology is not up to standard, it may potentially cause accidents.
We cannot eliminate accidents, but we can reduce the probability of accidents occurring by taking precautions and paying more attention to maintenance in our daily lives. Of course, this is already the utmost that ordinary consumers can do. At the root, it still requires manufacturers to further tackle the safety performance of batteries, such as exploring a new material or a more precise BMS management system.