Do batteries catch fire?


One of the major issues raised is one of battery fires. It’s a fact that electric batteries can catch fire, but it also happens in electric scooters, and other small electrically propelled devices, mainly those bought online from ‘dubious’ suppliers. Research into actual cases has shown that EVs are much less likely to combust than their petrol or diesel equivalents. The downside is that if an EV does go up in flames, it presents a far more complex proposition for the emergency services trying to extinguish the blaze.

In an interview with Forbes earlier this year, Thatcham Research CTO, Richard Billyeald, said that electric vehicles generally have a lower fire risk than fossil-fuel vehicles, but that the data pool is currently small.

“Our latest research indicates that the risk of fire for all types of EV remains less likely than for ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. It should be noted that the usable data only goes back five years and even now the number of EVs on the roads still represents a very small sample size.

They went on, “This is also reflected in the safety testing we conduct in the UK on behalf of Euro NCAP, where despite the robust impacts to the front and particularly the sides of the vehicle where the battery is most vulnerable, there have been no resultant thermal events.”


Environmental concerns


The Guardian reported “A tsunami of electric vehicles is expected in rich countries, as car companies and governments pledge to ramp up their numbers – there are predicted to be 145m on the roads by 2030. But while electric vehicles can play an important role in reducing emissions, they also contain a potential environmental timebomb: their batteries”.

This subject brings the issue much closer to home. In the North of Portugal, we have one of the largest Lithium mines in Europe. While EVs on the road have a net-negative impact on carbon emissions, their production is carbon intensive. Research from Berylls Strategy Advisors found that the manufacture of an electric car battery weighing 500 kg emits 74% more carbon dioxide than producing a conventional car.


Don’t believe the hype, look at the facts


Industry Week recently reported, Lithium Batteries' Dirty Secret: Manufacturing them leaves a massive carbon footprint.

MIT (Manchester Institute of Technology) reports battery materials come with other costs, too. Mining raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel is labour-intensive, requires chemicals and enormous amounts of water—frequently from areas where water is scarce—and can leave contaminants and toxic waste behind. 60% of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where questions about human rights violations such as child labour continue to arise. The lithium mines in Portugal are going to be a very attractive source of this material, if only because it’s much closer to the European countries that are manufacturing electric cars.

I believe it’s fair to say that the Portuguese government would never tolerate the use of child labour to extract lithium, but the other problems won’t go away, the vast quantities of water needed (and we don’t have an abundance) not to mention what will be left behind when a mine is exhausted.


What about battery replacement?


It’s a sad fact of life that batteries eventually reach the ‘end of life’. Most of us have had to replace the battery in our car. Changing one battery is no big deal, but when the batteries are the only thing that keeps your EV running, then that’s another matter. It needs to be said first that EV’s are so new, there is little data about how long the battery pack will remain effective. Depending on the make of your vehicle, the cost of replacing the battery back ranges from 5,000 to 20,000 Euros. You can find a lot more information here.

Obviously, you will have a manufacturer's guarantee, for the batteries this is normally 8 years or 100,000 km. Check before you buy. The obvious conclusion is that you shouldn’t keep an EV for a long period, part exchange or trade-in within three to five years, then it’s not your problem. Old batteries can be traded in, there is an increasing demand for them.

Liz Najman, a EV Market Researcher wrote recently, “It seems counterintuitive, but as more people go electric, there is more demand to replace older batteries. At the same time, batteries that are in cars are not degrading as fast as expected. Plus, there is a new wave of second-life battery storage companies also trying to buy second-hand batteries. This leaves used EV owners competing with each other - and battery storage companies - for salvage or junk yard batteries and driving the price up”. So, it looks as if you could get some money back for a used EV battery pack, but the new pack will be expensive, very expensive!


Are you really helping the environment?


Many people find the attraction of an electric car very positive. Less moving parts so less wear and tear and lower maintenance costs. Range anxiety still exists but charging points are springing up everywhere. Where you need to think carefully is if you believe you are helping the environment. You will certainly emit less, if any, CO2. But, (there always is a but), the production of those batteries is far from environmentally friendly and nobody yet knows for sure how long they will last.

Author

Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy. 

Paul Luckman