The scope of the fire risk posed by electric vehicles (EVs) is not well-understood, says a National Research Council of Canada report.
“Electric vehicles present a greener solution to internal combustion vehicle engines, however they may pose a different fire hazard due to their propulsion system, the lithium ion battery,” said the report, Literature Review on Parking of Electric Vehicles, viewed by Blacklock’s Reporter.
“There are still questions regarding the fire safety of electric vehicles,” it said.
No national database exists on the number of fires caused by EVs, so the scope of the problem is hard to quantify, the report said. But it cited some specific incidents, including a fire last year in an underground parkade in Quebec City and another at a Niagara Falls casino parking lot in 2018.
“Vehicles are active during charging which poses a hazard in garages. Although large vehicle fires in parking structures are not common they might lead to large economic losses,” the report said. It noted that while some newly built parking structures are designed with EVs and their potential fire risks in mind, the majority aren’t.
In 2015, Canada’s Department of Transport prohibited passenger aircrafts from carrying lithium batteries in bulk.
On Dec. 21, the federal government published draft regulations mandating all new passenger vehicle sales be electric zero-emission by 2035. The plan is to phase-in the rules starting with a 20 percent requirement in 2026.
