Mercedes EQE’s Catastrophic Fire In Underground Garage: What We Know

Although, statistically, electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire than vehicles with a combustion engine. However once they do go up in flames, they will trigger much more harm. This Mercedes-Benz EQE began displaying white smoke and went ablaze seconds later in an underground car parking zone in an condo advanced within the metropolis of Incheon, which is about 20 miles west of Seoul, South Korea.

The EQE hearth induced harm to some 140 vehicles (of which 70 had extra vital harm) that have been parked on the identical ground, and 23 individuals who lived within the constructing above have been hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Based on Korea JoongAng Daily, a complete of 103 individuals have been initially evacuated from the close by buildings after they began filling up with black smoke.

The hearth was so sturdy that it affected the electrical energy grid not solely within the constructing the place it occurred however for all the constructing advanced. Later studies mentioned that just about 500 households have been with out energy and water for 5 days after the incident.

Mercedes-Benz Korea made an preliminary assertion, saying “We will not verify particulars in regards to the precise mannequin and batteries for the time being” and “We’re taking this very significantly and can do our greatest to collaborate with hearth authorities to find out the precise trigger.” The particular Mercedes EQE variant that caught hearth has not but been decided; it may even be the AMG model.

What we do know is that the EQE sedan that exploded didn’t have the identical battery pack because the U.S. EQE fashions. The Korean automotive’s nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) cells have been from one other Chinese language provider, Farasis Energy, which has a battery supply deal with Mercedes guardian firm Daimler signed in 2018. Within the U.S., the EQE makes use of locally-made batteries from a joint venture with Envision AESC close to the automotive’s manufacturing facility in Alabama. 

Daimler additionally owns a 3% share of Farasis, with which it has a contract to collectively develop batteries for EVs and hybrids. The automaker is alleged to account for about half of Farais’ total battery manufacturing. The corporate additionally provides Chinese language automaker BAIC, which needed to recall 32,000 EVs in 2021 due to faulty batteries.

Mercedes additionally has a three way partnership cope with BAIC referred to as Beijing Benz, which assembles a number of fashions, together with the EQE, in China. EQEs assembled in Germany are normally outfitted with CATL batteries whereas these made in China primarily get Farasis cells. It has but to be decided the place this automotive was manufactured and if a battery fault was accountable for the hearth.

All that’s left of the EQE is a naked shell, so there’s not a lot to go on, however it’s recognized that the car had been parked for 3 days and wasn’t being charged on the time.