Categories: Technology

Fire brigade expert: Setting electric cars on fire is really that dangerous

German science YouTuber Cedric Engels, also known as ‘Doktor Whatson’, dispels myths and prejudices surrounding the burning of electric car batteries.

Misinformation about electric cars persists. This can especially be observed after serious traffic accidents in which batteries are said to have burned.

“Rescuers are afraid of electric cars,” read the headline in the German tabloid ‘Bild’. And because such dramatic headlines evoke strong emotions, they spread quickly across social media platforms.

A firefighter with a PhD clears up some of the worst misunderstandings and fake news in a recent YouTube video. The video comes from German science YouTuber Cedric Engels, also known as “Doktor Whatson”.

In the video he leaves it behind Safety engineer Rolf Erbe speak. The German expert is an instructor at the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service Academy (BFRA).

The explanatory video worth watching

“Electric vehicles can be removed. We don’t need any special extinguishing agent for this.”

The essence in short:

  • Media criticism: Due to the lack of authentic images, the German media used a completely misleading photo of a high-rise disaster in England in a report about an electric car fire in an underground parking garage.
  • Lack of specialist knowledge: In general, the fire brigade expert notes that previous reports about accidents involving electric cars have been grossly exaggerated. This was also due to uncertainties and a lack of specialist knowledge (about electric cars) among the security and rescue forces. The knowledge gaps have been closed with awareness campaigns and regular training.
  • A spectacular video allegedly showing an electric car exploding on a highway has been circulating on social media platforms for years. In fact, they are exploding propane gas cylinders.
  • A so-called electric bus with flames shooting out of it is in reality a natural gas-powered vehicle.
  • With vehicle fires, the biggest problem is usually not the fire itself, but the smoke.
  • If a car burns for a long time, there are several loud explosions: from the five tires (including the spare wheel) and from the airbags.
  • When internal combustion engine vehicles catch fire, it is much more dangerous because of the fuel (on board).
“We don’t need any special equipment. We can also extinguish burning electric cars with conventional means and extinguishing equipment.”

We owe the in-depth explanation of the fire brigade expert to an earlier article by Doctor Whatson. At the end of 2023 he published the following video, which aroused many reactions and questions.

“Electric cars burn: what’s really behind that?”

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Sources

  • spektrum.de: Doctor Whatson – Firefighter responds to burning electric cars (February 13)
  • merton-magazin.de: The Conscientious Doctor Whatson (2020)

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Source: Watson

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