Abstract
The article discusses the analysis of the possible development of hazards associated with the operation of vehicles equipped with an electric drive using the example of passenger cars. The authors review the problem of the safety of people and property resulting from the occurrence of a fire in an electric passenger car, in the context of fires that have occurred in recent years. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the state of knowledge concerning the characteristics of the fire progression in an electric car, its heat release rate curve [HRR], total heat release [THR], heat of combustion and factors affecting the fire progression. In this paper, an attempt was made to compare the fire characteristics of an electric car and a passenger car equipped with an internal combustion engine together with an estimation, using CFD simulations, of the impact on the safety of people and property in closed structures such as underground garages or road tunnels. The need for further development of research on electric cars equipped with large lithium-ion batteries in the context of their fire safety is indicated. The authors pay attention to the insufficient amount of data available to understand the fire characteristics of modern electric cars, which would enable the appropriate design of fire safety systems in building structures.
Highlights
Legislative changes aimed at introduction of an increasing number of restrictions on the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon oxides (CO) and particulate matter (PM) in exhaust gases of newly sold vehicles [1] and increased car users’ awareness have contributed to a new direction in automotive development, in which the implementation of a low-emission drive source has become a key factor
The first occurred in Florida in Fort Lauderdale where a BEV electric car travelling at excessive speed fell off the road, the driver and passenger died on the spot from their injuries and the vehicle burned completely
This article presents the threat posed by the use of electric cars, which is fire, and reviews the cases of fires involving electric cars that occurred in recent years, together with an attempt to assess the causes of their occurrence
Summary
Legislative changes aimed at introduction of an increasing number of restrictions on the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon oxides (CO) and particulate matter (PM) in exhaust gases of newly sold vehicles In the case of use of passenger cars equipped with internal combustion engines, the last two decades have provided many research works presenting their fire characteristics necessary for proper understanding of the hazards resulting from fires [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] This enables use to understand the key parameters related to fire development, i.e., heat release rates and temperatures, thanks to which it is possible to properly design smoke and heat control systems, sprinkler systems or fire extinguishing equipment. The analysis was performed using CFD numerical methods and presents a comparison of the impact of the EV and ICEV fire course on the evacuation conditions, the safety of fire-fighting and rescue teams and the building structure by presenting the visibility and temperature during the fire [39]
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