A Mercedes-Benz fire may disrupt South Korea’s EV transition

A Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle that burst into flames in the South Korean city of Incheon has fueled public fears over the safety of battery-powered cars in recent months.

The incident hospitalized 23 people for smoke inhalation and left more than 200 families homeless for weeks. Authorities said it took more than eight hours to extinguish the blaze, which was caused after an unplugged electric sedan exploded in an underground apartment parking lot in July.

Since then, there has been widespread anxiety about electric vehicles, a phenomenon dubbed “electric vehicle phobia” by local media. Most residential buildings across the country have issued notices advising EV owners to be cautious when charging their cars, while some have even banned entry or parking of EVs altogether.

South Korea to promote EV battery certification system after series of fires

The public outcry prompted the government earlier this month to introduce a set of regulations aimed at allaying concerns, including a requirement for carmakers to disclose the brand of battery used in their vehicles.

Although batteries are an essential component of electric cars and can pose serious safety risks if not properly manufactured or managed, automakers have so far kept the identity of their battery suppliers confidential, not just in Korea but around the world.

As an electric vehicle owner for about three years now, I have never had the privilege of knowing the details of the battery inside my car. This now seems both strange and unfair, given that batteries are one of the most important and expensive parts of a vehicle. Shouldn’t consumers be entitled to clear and transparent information before making any purchase, especially when it is closely related to safety?

Once the new regulations go into effect (no date has been set and could be as soon as Monday), consumers in Korea should be able to consider battery manufacturers when purchasing an electric vehicle. There’s also still a lack of clarity about how much detail the government will require automakers to reveal, and whether EV owners like me will be able to retroactively find out the brand of battery that powers our cars.

The dramatic fire shook the Korean public at a rather unfortunate time when growth in electric vehicle sales – globally – is slowing. Wider negative sentiment towards electric vehicles is also undermining the government’s efforts to roll out more green cars and strengthen charging infrastructure across the country.

Before the incident, the country’s electric vehicle market was growing rapidly, accounting for more than 9 percent of new car registrations last year, according to data from the Ministry of Transport. But after the July incident, most automakers suffered a drop in sales of electric vehicles in August.

With the investigation still ongoing and the cause of the Mercedes fire still unidentified, some automakers, including Hyundai, General Motors and Porsche, have taken matters into their own hands, voluntarily disclosing their battery suppliers and offering free safety inspections to electric vehicle owners.

The government has also pledged to strengthen safety measures in car parks and require more electric vehicle manufacturers and battery charging operators to have adequate insurance. Whether these measures are enough to quell the angst surrounding electric vehicles remains to be seen. As for me, I’m content to continue driving the electric vehicle.

And the flip side of risk is opportunity. If South Korea moves forward and ends up with effective and comprehensive regulations in place, it could be a chance for the country to build a more resilient environment for electric vehicles in the future.

Photo credit: Andreas Gebert/Bloomberg