KUALA Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) acting director Rozihan Anwar Mamat said there is no agent capable of extinguishing fires caused by lithium batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles (EVs).
For that matter, the guidelines for installing electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) are being refined.
“To date, no extinguishing agent worldwide can put out fires caused by lithium batteries used in EVs. In fact, lithium can reignite even after the fire has been extinguished,” he said at a press conference after officiating the Building Fire Safety: Regulations course here today.
The complexity of extinguishing fires caused by lithium batteries used in electric vehicles has rarely been spoken about in Malaysia.
Professionals recommend using a specialised extinguishing agent like the F-500 Encapsulator Agent for putting out lithium-ion battery fires. F-500 EA can be premixed and proportioned at a 3% solution for thorough lithium-ion battery fire mitigation, said HTC world, which deals with fire hazards.
Lithium-ion batteries under the car pose a significant hazard during a fire. If these battery packs enter thermal runaway, a chemical reaction occurs, causing them to become extremely hot and uncontrollable.
They cannot be extinguished and will continuously reignite, releasing highly toxic gases. Flames can reach temperatures up to 2500 degrees, and regardless of the amount of water used, the batteries will reignite, CBS News reported.
Meanwhile, Rozihan stated that JBPM Kuala Lumpur is collaborating with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to regulate the installation of EVCS in the capital to reduce fire risks.
He mentioned that this includes the installation of EVCS not only on commercial premises and offices but also in private residences, which will be overseen by his department.
“The phenomenon of EVs requires JBPM and DBKL to be meticulous because project applications go through DBKL, so we will look into them in detail. We know the government announced plans to build 10,000 EVCS, so we will enforce regulations.
“Installations in premises need to obtain approval from the fire department, submit documents to JBPM, and we will recommend the type of EVCS, whether AC or DC, according to guidelines,” he added. – July 13, 2024
