00:00We're seeing electric cars on the streets more and more, and they are becoming part of our routine.
00:07But with that, also comes a lesser-known risk, which is hard to control electric car fires.
00:15So, how do we deal with electric car fires?
00:25What's up, engineering lovers?
00:27Today, we're going to talk about a topic that's becoming increasingly important
00:32as the adoption of electric vehicles grows in Brazil and around the world.
00:37Recently, the company I work for was contacted by our state's fire department.
00:42And do you know what they wanted?
00:45Documentation and information on how to deal with electric car fires.
00:51They were trying to come up with strategies and protocols to handle this kind of emergency.
00:57And that made me realize how critical this topic is and how it needs to be understood.
01:05First of all, it's important to understand that an electric car fire is fundamentally different
01:11from a fire in an internal combustion vehicle.
01:14But what is it exactly?
01:17That difference, the answer, lies in the lithium battery, the heart of the electric vehicle.
01:24While a traditional car burns fuel to a simple combustion reaction, an electric car has a battery
01:32that, when damaged or overheated, can enter a state called thermal runaway.
01:38This is a process where the battery's temperature rises uncontrollably, releasing an enormous amount of heat,
01:47heat and energy.
01:50Unlike a conventional fire, where you can simply turn off the fuel source,
01:55cool down the reaction or cut off the oxygen.
02:00A lithium battery in thermal runaway keeps generating heat on its own, making firefighting extremely challenging.
02:09Now, let's understand the chemistry behind this.
02:12And this is where things get really interesting.
02:15How is it possible that a battery continues to burn, even when you try to put it out with water?
02:23The answer lies in the chemical composition of the lithium battery and in the reactions that occur inside it.
02:30A typical lithium battery contains an organic electrolyte, usually a mixture of lithium salts,
02:38dissolved in a solvent like dimethy carbonate and ethylene carbonate.
02:43When a battery cell goes into thermal runaway, the temperature rises violently,
02:50causing the electrolyte to decompose.
02:53This decomposition releases gases and, even more importantly, releases oxygen to complex chemical reactions.
03:02One of the reactions that occurs is the decomposition of lithium compounds
03:07that release molecular oxygen directly inside the cell.
03:12This means that the battery carries with it the three elements needed to sustain a fire.
03:18Fuel, which are the electrolyte solvents, the heat generated by the exothermic reaction,
03:25and the oxygen released by the battery itself.
03:28When you try to put out a fire with water, the water might even cool the surface,
03:33but it can't stop the chemical reaction happening inside the cells,
03:37because the oxygen is being generated internally.
03:42But how hot do these batteries get during a fire?
03:48Studies show that during a thermal runaway,
03:51lithium batteries can reach temperatures exceeding 500 degrees Celsius.
03:56To put that into perspective,
03:58the temperature of a conventional fire in a building
04:02generally ranges between 600 and 1,000 degrees Celsius.
04:09But what makes a battery fire so dangerous isn't just the absolute temperature,
04:14but the duration and the intensity of the chemical reaction.
04:19A battery in thermal runaway can keep releasing heat and gases for hours,
04:25even after the fire seemingly has been extinguished.
04:29This creates a risk of re-ignition,
04:32where the fire can flare back up and start all over again without prior warning.
04:38The thermal runaway reaction is self-sustaining,
04:42because as the temperature rises, more electrolyte decomposes,
04:47releasing more gases and more oxygen,
04:50creating a vicious cycle that is extremely difficult to stop.
04:54But let's take a closer look at what's happening inside.
04:58When the battery temperature exceeds a certain threshold,
05:02usually around 130 to 165 degrees Celsius,
05:08the separator dividing the anode and the cathode begins to melt.
05:13This causes an internal short circuit,
05:16and that's when the reaction really intensifies.
05:19The metallic lithium in the anode reacts with the released oxygen,
05:25generating a highly exothermic reaction.
05:28The simplified reaction can be represented as we can see on the screen,
05:33where this reaction releases an immense amount of heat,
05:37raising the cell's temperature even further.
05:40In addition, the organic electrolyte also undergoes decomposition
05:44when exposed to high temperatures,
05:47releasing gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen,
05:51carbon dioxide, methane, and ethylene.
05:54Among these gases,
05:56carbon monoxide and hydrogen are particularly dangerous,
06:02because they are flammable or can support combustion.
06:05It is a cascade of chemical reactions that feed each other,
06:10making it practically impossible to put out the fire with conventional methods.
06:14But then, how are firefighters learning to deal with this?
06:20The answer is not a single strategy,
06:24but rather multiple approaches that vary depending on the situation.
06:29According to experts and fire departments around the world,
06:32there are several options being implemented.
06:34The first strategy is to use large volumes of water to cool the battery,
06:41not to extinguish the fire,
06:42but to reduce the temperature below the point where thermal runaway is self-sustained.
06:49Water absorbs heat through its specific heat capacity,
06:53which is approximately 4.18 Joules per gram degree Celsius.
06:59One of the highest among common liquids.
07:03Some fire departments are using techniques with a specialized nozzle on the fire hose
07:09that slides over the car and sprays large amounts of water directly onto the battery.
07:16The idea is to keep the battery continuously cooled,
07:20preventing thermal runaway from intensifying
07:23and the fire from spreading to other parts of the vehicle.
07:26But there's an innovative solution that's revolutionizing
07:29the way firefighters deal with these fires.
07:33Have you ever heard of Fireman Access?
07:35This is an exclusive system developed by the Renault Group
07:40in partnership with Fire Services.
07:42And the company decided to make it available for free
07:46to the entire global automotive industry.
07:50Fireman Access is a patented innovation
07:53that allows fire and rescue services
07:56to extinguish an electric vehicle battery fire in just a few minutes,
08:01compared to several hours without this equipment.
08:05Technically, the system works as follows.
08:08A adhesive disc is placed over an opening in the vehicle's battery casing,
08:14sealing it for normal day-to-day use.
08:17If the vehicle catches fire and the flames spread to the battery,
08:21a powerful jet from the fire hose dislodges the disc
08:26and drenches the cells in water,
08:29which is the only fast and effective way to stop thermal runaway.
08:35With Fireman Access, a battery fire can be extinguished in just a few minutes.
08:41This allows firefighters to return to operational readiness much faster.
08:46And Renault Group was so committed to safety
08:49that it decided to make seven patents for this system
08:53available for free to the entire industry
08:56through an open, collaborative platform.
08:59Now, all electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles
09:03sold by Renault, Daisha, Alpine, and Mobilize Worldwide
09:07come equipped with Fireman Access.
09:10And other manufacturers can obtain a free license
09:14to implement this technology in their vehicles.
09:17As we just saw, the major danger of an electric vehicle fire
09:21is the cascade effect.
09:23If you don't have the right tool to act fast
09:26and nip the problem in the bud,
09:28the situation gets completely out of control.
09:32Now, besides Fireman Access,
09:35there are other innovative strategies being adopted globally.
09:39One of them is the use of fire containment blankets,
09:43also known as fire blankets, or EV fire blankets.
09:49These blankets are made of high-temperature-resistant materials
09:53and are specifically designed to contain fires in electric vehicles.
09:59They are placed over the burning vehicle,
10:02isolating it from external oxygen
10:04and containing the flames and toxic gases.
10:08It is important to emphasize
10:09that the blanket does not extinguish the battery fire on its own,
10:14but rather contains it,
10:16preventing the fire from spreading to other vehicles and structures
10:20or nearby people.
10:22This is a crucial strategy
10:24in environments like parking lots,
10:27garages, or urban areas,
10:29where there are multiple adjacent vehicles or structures.
10:33The blanket allows toxic and explosive gases
10:37to escape in a controlled manner
10:40while keeping the fire localized.
10:43Another innovative approach being tested
10:47is the use of water submersion systems.
10:52Additionally, some fire departments
10:54are adopting a multi-pronged approach
10:57that combines several techniques.
11:00This approach,
11:01known as the fire isolator concept,
11:06integrates containment blankets,
11:08aerosol units,
11:10water mist lenses,
11:11and thermal cameras.
11:13The aerosols
11:14work by interrupting
11:17the combustion reaction
11:18at a chemical level,
11:21actively
11:21suppressing the flames
11:24coming from the battery.
11:25Thermal cameras
11:26allow firefighters
11:28to pinpoint
11:29specific battery hotspots
11:32and apply water
11:33in a targeted manner,
11:35maximizing
11:36cooling efficiency.
11:38It's also important
11:39to emphasize
11:40that not all lithium batteries
11:42are the same.
11:43There are different battery chemistries
11:45and some
11:46are more resistant
11:47to overheating
11:48than others.
11:49Lithium-iron phosphate batteries,
11:52known as LFP
11:53or LIFE-PO4,
11:55are more resistant
11:57to thermal runaway,
11:58typically only entering
12:00thermal runaway
12:00at temperatures
12:01above 500 degrees Celsius.
12:04In comparison,
12:06conventional nickel,
12:08manganese,
12:09and cobalt batteries
12:10can go into thermal runaway
12:12at much lower temperatures.
12:14This means
12:14that the type of vehicle battery
12:16also influences
12:18how difficult it is
12:19to fight the fire.
12:20LFP chemistry
12:22is more stable
12:23because iron phosphate
12:24is less reactive
12:26than nickel
12:27and cobalt oxides,
12:28making electrolyte decomposition
12:30slower
12:31and more controllable.
12:32If you made it this far
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12:49in our videos.
12:50And you,
12:51have you ever stopped
12:51to think about
12:52how much electric car technology
12:54is evolving,
12:55but also about
12:56the challenges
12:57it brings
12:57to emergency services?
12:59Have you ever imagined
13:00the complexity
13:01of the chemical reactions
13:03that happen
13:04inside a battery
13:06undergoing thermal runaway?
13:08Have you ever thought
13:09about how firefighters
13:11need to be prepared
13:12to deal with
13:13a type of fire
13:14that is fundamentally
13:15different
13:16from anything
13:17they've learned before?
13:18Let me know
13:19in the comments
13:19what you think
13:20about this topic
13:21and if you have
13:22any experience
13:23or knowledge
13:24regarding electric vehicle fires
13:26that you'd like to share.
13:27Right over here
13:28are two interesting videos
13:30that you need to watch
13:31to expand your knowledge
13:32and explore
13:33your curiosity.
13:35And if you want
13:36to support us,
13:37leave a like,
13:37subscribe to the channel,
13:39hit the notification bell
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13:41a channel member.
13:42That's it,
13:43engineering enthusiasts.
13:44Take care
13:44and I'll see you
13:45in the next video.
