The study was carried out based on fire rates recorded by the US Department of Traffic, where there is a greater presence of electric cars and combustion    

After a study carried out by the American website AutoInsuranceEZA, at the end of December 2021, it was found that the chance of gasoline-powered cars catching fire is 10 times greater than that of electric cars. In this study, data from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Department of Transportation Statistics (BTS) were crossed. agencies linked to the Department of Transportation of the United States government, in addition to data issued by the website Recalls.gov, also linked to the White House, to understand more clearly what are the real risks of fire in models of electric, hybrid and gasoline-powered cars Gasoline.

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American website study clearly shows fire risks in gasoline-powered cars

In the AutoInsuranceEZA study, based on the sampling method, it was identified that, of every 100 hybrid cars sold in 2021, around 3.474 suffered some type of fire, totaling 16.051 incidents.

In the case of combustion cars, for every 100 models sold, 1.529 fires were recorded, totaling 199.533 incidents. On the other hand, for electric cars, the number of incidents recorded was minimal, as for every 100 models sold, only 25,1 fires were recorded, with a total of 52 in the year 2021.

The high number of fire cases in hybrid models, according to the study, may be attributed to the combustion of gasoline in the engine, where energy is also generated.  

Collection of vehicles with electrical problems and difficulties in controlling fires in electrified models

The AutoInsuranceEZ study also related data on recalls made on vehicles in the US in 2020, with most of them on combustion cars. Around 430 Hyundai Elantras had to be recalled because of electrical problems, unlike the 82 Hyundai Konas that went out of business due to battery failure.

Even though the number of incidents in electric cars is small, putting out a fire in this type of model is more difficult, and is still a big problem. This is due to lithium-ion batteries, especially when installed in EVs (electric motorcycles), becoming much more difficult to remove than in an electric car.

Still according to the website, most firefighters are still not familiar with incidents in EVs. In any case, as the batteries are the vehicle's energy source, they can burn for many hours, making it even more difficult to cool them down.

Are electric cars really safe?

Electric cars continue to evolve a lot, so that they bring more and more comfort and safety to the driver and passengers. According to the study, even with the incidences, electric models are not more dangerous than combustion-powered car models, confirming this theory based on the fire rates – which were presented throughout the study – of both models.

Manufacturers and dealerships continue to work to increasingly improve electric models, both internally and visually, to better meet consumer requirements.