Firefighters will soon need specialist training to handle EV fires, a leading transport expert has warned.

There were around 2,300 car fires reported in Ireland in 2019 and data from the UK suggests that around half of all car fires are started deliberately.

Studies suggest EVs are much less likely to catch fire than their traditional counterparts - with one recent Swedish study finding that petrol and diesel cars are 20 times more likely to catch fire than an EV.

With an increasing number of EVs on Irish roads, however, Conor Faughnan believes firefighters should be given training in how to deal with EV fires.

Battery fire

“In the US, they were complaining that firefighters aren’t properly trained or equipped to deal with them,” he told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“When a lithium battery goes on fire, it’s a different proposition to a fuel tank.

“A full tank of gas going on fire is a scary proposition as well but it’s a familiar one to fire services for 100 years [but] this is new technology - so a bit of a worry.”

Mr Faughnan said there was recently a case in the United States where an EV caught fire and firefighters had to use 150,000 litres of water to quench the flames.

“So, the firefighting technology will become more sophisticated as well,” he said.

“I think manufacturers have a bit of a responsibility there.”

An EV charging point with an electric car plugged in. Image: Geoff Smith / Alamy

For EV drivers looking to minimise the chance of their vehicle catching fire, Mr Faughnan said it is important to get it serviced as soon as you notice a problem.

“Don’t ignore it - particularly on a motorway,” he said.

“The motorway hard shoulder is about the most dangerous place you can be in a stationary car.

“Don’t pull in to make phone calls or anything like that - it’s a really dangerous slot.

“You should only be there if the car is broken down.”

'Let the professionals deal with it'

Mr Faughnan also suggested that spending money on a fire extinguisher is not a good use of money and that it is “more important to spend that few bob on making sure that car is properly serviced.”

“Unless there’s a real danger and a real reason for you to act immediately - just get away from the car,” he said.

“Let the professionals deal with it.

“Certainly, on a motorway - just get away from it, [call] 999 and let the professionals deal with it.”

Despite Government support for EVs, sales of new EVs are lower this year than they were in 2023.

Main image: Firefighters. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie