JAKARTA - The impact of a fire on an electric car battery (EV) is indeed devastating even though statistically EV fire cases are much rarer than gasoline or hybrid cars. However, the concern that the EV battery will burn may soon find an innovative solution directly from the source.
Stellantis, the parent company of brands such as Jeep and Ram, has just obtained a patent for an on-board fire suppressant system that has the potential to revolutionize the safety of EVs and hybrid vehicles.
It is known that the properties of lithium-ion battery fires are very different. Damage or exposure to fire on the battery can trigger a dangerous phenomenon called thermal runaway, a chain reaction that makes EV fires much more difficult for firefighters to extinguish.
So far, efforts to prevent EV fires have focused on safer battery designs and better extinguishing protocols by firefighters. Meanwhile, extreme solutions such as the idea in China to throw the burning battery out of the vehicle sound unrealistic and dangerous, Stellantis offers a more practical approach: installing a fire extinguishing system inside the car itself.
English:
As reported by Autoblog, Tuesday, December 16, the new patent system obtained by Stellantis (Pub. No.: US 2025/0372750) is not just an ordinary fire extinguisher. It is designed to cope with the high intensity of EV fires and specifically prevent thermal runaway. Its main components include a pocket containing flame retardant chemicals, piercing blades, cooling channels, and various actuators and sensors.
The way it works is that the system will constantly monitor the battery temperature. If a certain temperature parameter is exceeded, indicating a high risk of thermal runaway, the blade will pierce the bag, and the flame retardant chemical (in the form of foam) will be channeled through a specific cooling path to control the fire before it becomes a disaster.
While bringing this advanced system into mass production has its own challenges, especially related to the addition of weight and battery space, this solution is very promising. If Stellantis manages to pack this technology efficiently, this on-board fire extinguisher will be a major victory for consumer safety and will certainly be highly appreciated by firefighters around the world.
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