Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has added its voice to the debate surrounding electric vehicles (EVs) and their chargers, saying they don’t believe EVs should be charged – or even parked – overnight in enclosed parking garages.
They made the statement in a position paper in response to new National Building Standards released last week which outline installation standards for EV chargers in buildings.
But FRNSW says EV charging should not be completed inside at all, and if it absolutely must occur indoors, then charging stations should be placed close to exits.
Their fear is a runaway lithium battery fire, which in an enclosed area like an apartment block could quickly threaten the whole building.
FRNSW says it acknowledges that while incidences of EV fires are “very rare” they have the potential to cause massive damage.
“The potential consequence of an EV fire may result in rapid unconfined fire spread through the car park and /or bustling, causing large property losses and likely threat to life safety,” it writes.
“FRNSW does not recommend EV parking and/or charging to any building not protected by an AS 2118 fire sprinkler system, including a building protected by an FPAA101D or FPAA101H fire sprinkler system which have lesser performance,” it writes.
They say these less-powerful sprinkler systems will not be sufficient to stop a lithium-ion battery in a state of thermal runaway.
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