South Korea EV explosion sparks charging warning, safety fears

An unplugged electric Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire last Thursday in an underground car park at an apartment complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, according to fire authorities. More than 700 residents were evacuated due to water and power outages and the blaze damaged some 140 cars, according to the Incheon Metropolitan City government. Twenty three people were hospitalised.

Several office buildings have now banned EVs from entering and parking, according to notices on social media, while some apartment management committees are advising EV owners to be cautious when they charge their cars.

The incident has rattled South Korea’s public at a time when EV sales growth – globally – is slowing. While combustion engine car fires are much more common, negative sentiment towards EVs and the fire risk their batteries may pose adds to some of the other reasons consumers shy away from buying an electric car, including higher upfront costs and lack of reliable charging infrastructure.

“Honestly it’s quite frightening and this will surely be discussed during our regular resident meeting this month,” Wayne Moon, a 37-year-old inhabitant of Gyeonggi, the province surrounding the capital, said by phone. “There’s a need for the country to overhaul everything from fire safety standards, legislation and charging infrastructure to address the risk of EV fires.”

Mercedes-Benz Korea will fully cooperate with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire but declined to comment further, according to a statement.

With social media now abuzz in South Korea over the safety of EV batteries, some people are reconsidering their coming car purchases.

Users of a Tesla Inc. online community chat were debating on Tuesday whether they should cancel their