FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Electric vehicles are only growing in popularity, and for the most part, work without any problems. But earlier this week, there was a local example of when the batteries in electric vehicles can become a hazard.
"On arrival, we found the vehicle smoking," said Andy King, Fire Marshal for Franklin Fire Department.
Most of the time, car fires are pretty routine calls for the Franklin FD, but not when they were called out Tuesday to Nissan North America's headquarters in Franklin.
"We immediately started applying water to that fire and were trying to cool it down, but the fire wouldn’t go out," said King.
That's because, inside that Nissan Leaf, was a lithium-ion battery.
"Any of the lithium-ion technology basically generates its own energy, and because it’s so sealed up and protected, if it were to catch fire and malfunction, it’s not like we can get right to it and put water on it and have it go out," he said.
King said that phenomenon is called thermal runaway. That means, despite 45,000 gallons of water sprayed onto the car — the battery known for storing lots of energy — kept burning for three hours. Firefighters had to monitor the heat emitted for several hours more. The malfunctioning battery can also emit toxic gases that can also be combustible.
"The only option you’re really left with is to let it burn and move it after it’s done," said King.
The situation at Nissan was certainly scary, but it's not an isolated situation. In fact, if you search online, you can find scenarios all across the country involving fires and lithium-ion batteries. In 2021, there was an EV that caught fire inside a residential garage in Virginia. Earlier this summer, a New York E-Bike repair shop caught fire, killing four people inside.
CBS News has done extensive reporting on the threat lithium-ion batteries can present when they malfunction.
That's why King wants anyone who owns an EV or larger device that contains a lithium-ion battery to take extra precautions.
"If you notice it’s malfunctioning, I think the key is not to go back and plug it in three or four times and just see if there’s something wrong, it’s really to stop charging it," said King. "And then if you’re charging that inside your residential garage, go ahead and move it outside and away from things."
He feels like this time, they got lucky it happened in a relatively empty parking lot. The next time, it could be much worse.
"There doesn’t appear to be a silver bullet here for solving this problem because of just the inherent problems with lithium-ion," said King.
Franklin Fire Department conducted a lithium-ion battery fire seminar just four months before the situation at Nissan, and said they may consider future training in light of the recent incident.
Nissan North America confirms they are conducting its own investigation into what triggered the lithium-ion battery malfunction.
