South Korea Emergency Electric Car Fire, Monday Holds Important Meeting

JAKARTA - Last week, a Mercedes-Benz electric sedan with a battery made by a Chinese company, Farasis Energy, caught fire in the underground garage of an apartment in Incheon City, South Korea. The fire took more than eight hours to extinguish and damage about 140 cars. A total of 23 people were rushed to the hospital due to inhaling smoke.

For this incident, Mercedes-Benz Korea has expressed very serious concern and will cooperate with the authorities to determine the cause, which until this news was written has not yet been disclosed.

Following the incident, the South Korean government will hold an emergency meeting this week to discuss a series of recent electric car fires (EVs). One of the incidents above was the most severe causing massive damage.

According to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters published in February, 1,399 fires occurred in an underground parking lot in South Korea between 2013 and 2022, with 43.7 percent of them caused by vehicles. Electricity sources account for 53 percent of car fires in the basement garage.

Reuters reported, quoted August 12, South Korea's Ministry of Environment said on Thursday, August 8, that the Ministry of Land and Industry and other relevant agencies, such as the National Fire Department, would participate in a meeting on Monday, August 12. The government plans to announce comprehensive measures related to EV fires in the near future.

The decision comes amid growing public concerns about EV safety, especially as the industry is experiencing a decline in sales.

Meanwhile, according to Yonhap News Agency, the government will have new policies related to this issue early next month.

Meanwhile, Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted an unnamed transportation ministry official as saying that South Korea plans to require EV manufacturers to disclose the battery brand used in their cars. Currently, car manufacturers in South Korea only need to provide limited information about batteries and should not mention their manufacturers.