Here’s how Hyundai plans to beat deadly electric car fires in the future
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Electric vehicle (EV) fires are dangerous for owners and bystanders. However, and tragically so, battery fires can kill or seriously injure fire responders due to their unique nature. Fortunately, Hyundai claims they have a special, albeit stabby, solution to the issue of electric car fires.
Hyundai claims its ‘Drill Lance’ will cut right through the issue of electric car fires
You’ve likely heard the stories of wild lithium-ion battery fires. EVs like the Rimac Concept One that famed automotive journalist Richard Hammond crashed. Its onboard batteries continued to immolate for days after his unfortunate crash. Fire like the one that nearly killed Hammond is a real concern for many current and would-be electric car owners.
Hyundai, however, says that it might have a solution to the prevalent concern of electric car fires. The South Korean auto giant’s “Drill Lance” will reportedly make battery fires easy to work on. Now, my closest cohorts had difficulty fighting electric car fires. And our department was rather well-outfitted with some of the latest and greatest firefighting equipment. However, when it comes to battling the nastiest of electric car battery fires, most departments will resort to the “put the wet stuff on the hot stuff” mentality.
That means dousing a raging electric car fire with mass quantities of water to smother the combustion process. Still, despite the best efforts of firefighters, some EV fires are too challenging for a huge “water dump.” Consequently, Hyundai has developed a “drill lance” to penetrate EV battery packs.
According to InsideEVs, Hyundai Glovis, one of the brand’s many vehicle-producing arms, developed the device to battle EV fires on container ships. It makes sense, too. Especially considering how isolated a vessel could be in the Pacific Ocean.
Hyundai Glovis asserts that the lance can extinguish a battery fire in “less than 30 minutes.” Considering some fire departments take a “let it burn” approach to electric car fires, it’s a huge improvement. As the name suggests, the drill lance can burrow into a flaming battery pack and drench the battery acid within. As of now, Hyundai plans on equipping 32 of its car carriers with the technology. However, technology like this could quickly find its way into the hands of rural fire departments.
