Mercedes EV's battery pack source of massive blaze in Incheon parking lot

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Mercedes EV's battery pack source of massive blaze in Incheon parking lot

Published: 20 Sep. 2024, 17:34

SARAH CHEA
chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr

A Mercedes-Benz executive examines the burnt Mercedes EQE sedan in Incheon on Aug. 8. The Mercedes EQE EV explosion damaged as many as 880 vehicles parked in the garage. [NEWS1]

The massive blaze that broke out in a Mercedes-Benz EV parked in an underground parking lot last month is believed to have ignited from the car's battery pack, according to the National Forensic Service (NFS).

Incheon Metropolitan Police said Friday it received the forensic investigation results of the burned EQE sedan conducted jointly with the NFS, fire authorities and Mercedes-Benz Korea.

CCTV footage shows a Mercedes-Benz EV exploding at an underground parking lot in Incheon on Aug. 1. [YONHAP]

The country’s forensic investigators said in a report that the fire may have started in the lithium-ion battery pack equipped under the electric vehicle's body.

The NFS also said it could not rule out the possibility that the blaze in the battery pack was caused after it suffered a power cut or some other form of destruction as the underside of the car was damaged by external stimulation.

The burnt Mercedes EQE sedan is transferred for investigation in Incheon. [NEWS1]

However, the exact possibility cannot be determined as the battery management system (BMS), the part that contained all the battery data, was incinerated in the explosion, the NFS added.

The melting point of the BMS in the burned Mercedes was confirmed to be 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit).

Police said they would continue the investigation based on the NFS’s examination results.

On Aug. 1, a Mercedes EQE sedan burst into flames in an underground parking lot in an apartment complex in Incheon while parked for almost three days.

The explosion damaged 880 vehicles parked in the garage, including 87 that were destroyed. Some 1,600 households in the apartment complex suffered weeklong electricity and water supply outages.

The Mercedes EQE was later found to have been topped with batteries from Ganzhou-based Farasis Energy, an obscure battery company with a history of massive recalls due to battery defects.

BY SARAH CHEA, LEE JI-YOUNG [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]