Electric car sparks flame lingero: train traffic in Schwäbisch Gmünd stopped!

Electric car sparks flame lingero: train traffic in Schwäbisch Gmünd stopped!

Schwäbisch Gmünd, Deutschland - On Wednesday evening at 10:30 p.m., an electric car at the Fehrleparkhaus at Gmünder train station caught fire. The technical defect during the charging process led to a flame inferno that also had an impact on train traffic. Train traffic had to be closed at short notice because the railway tracks were in the immediate vicinity, such as the Remszeitung reported.

The Schwäbisch Gmünd fire department quickly became on site with 21 emergency services and seven vehicles and was able to extinguish the fire quickly. The fire brigade took around 1 a.m. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the total damage to the electric car is about 30,000 euros. In addition, there were damage to property on the charging station, on the asphalt, a tree and a car next to it, which led to a total cost of around 70,000 euros.

cause of the fire and extinguishing methods

Fire brigade commander Uwe Schubert pointed out that this was the first fire of an electric car for the Gmünder fire brigade. He underlined that such fires require special caution, since chemical processes in the battery can increase the risk of renewed flame. Easy deglish is not enough; The battery must be observed steadily until the takeover by a towing service, he added.

Deleting e-car fires offers some challenges because lithium-ion batteries can develop a lot of heat. In contrast to gasoline or diesel vehicles, where the risk of fire is not higher, a fire often requires more water and time for electric vehicles. Once inflamed, the fire can arise inside the battery, and a chain reaction through so-called thermal runaway can also arise, as the ADAC explained.

statistical background to fires

Statistically speaking in Germany, around 14,200 comprehensive cars are burning every year. According to the Gdv No higher risk of fire than your colleagues with an internal combustion engine. A large part of the vehicle fires results for arson or external reasons, and the main cause of e-car fires are usually problems with the battery.

The risk of electric vehicles is significantly minimized by modern safety requirements. The fire brigade has prepared for the challenges of electric car fires and regularly tests new techniques to optimize fire fighting.