Chinese Electric Car Deemed Fireproof Due to Its LFP Batteries Caught Fire While Charging

Chinese Electric Car, Sales Champion, Considered Free of Hazards Due to Its LFP Batteries Caught Fire While Charging. Experts Discarded the Batteries as Generators of the Incident.

The Chinese electric car sales champion, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, or simply known as Mini EV, reached the position of the best-selling vehicle in the sector in the Asian country last year, surpassing even the powerful Tesla by Elon Musk. The mini vehicle had previously been considered fireproof due to its LFP batteries that are not prone to explode or ignite. However, this “fame” may have been compromised last month when one of these electric cars used for test drives started burning while charging.

Chinese Electric Car with LFP Batteries Had Its Front Destroyed by Fire

The incident occurred in China, specifically in the city of Haikou. According to the portal HNDNews, firefighters arrived at the scene quickly and the fire of the electric car was controlled with little effort, likely because the LFP batteries of the electric car were not involved in the incident.

In the photos released by the press, it is possible to see that the sales champion in the electric car sector in China had its entire front consumed by the fire, as the charging port is located in the center of the front grille of the model.

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The left side of the front appears to be more compromised, leading some people and experts to believe that some component present on this side of the Chinese electric car could be the cause of the incident.

The firefighters are still investigating the possible causes of the incident and analyzing whether they can indeed rule out the involvement of the LFP batteries. Attention must also be turned to other components of electric cars that may have caused this type of accident.

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Has Sold More Than 100 Thousand Units

The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, equipped with LFP batteries, has the capacity to accommodate up to four people, measuring 1.49 meters in width, 2.92 m in length, and 1.60 meters in height. The vehicle offers great luggage space when the back seat is free of passengers, totaling 741 liters of capacity.

The vehicle has become one of the best-selling electric cars in China, and despite growing competition in its sector, the mini electric continues to top the rankings. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), around 100 thousand units have been sold during the first quarter of this year.

Fires in Electric Cars

In addition to the Chinese electric car equipped with LFP batteries, it is impossible not to remember when a Tesla electric car, the White Model S, caught fire in California last month after being parked for about three weeks in a junkyard.

Before igniting, the vehicle was already heavily damaged due to a collision. When the Sacramento police team arrived at the scene, the electric vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, making it very difficult for firefighters to extinguish the fire.

When they finally managed to reduce the fire, it flared up again due to a gas release in the battery compartment. Alongside the junkyard team, firefighters moved the Tesla to the side to access the compartment, located underneath the vehicle.

To prevent it from igniting again due to residual heat, the teams created a small pit, placed the car inside, and filled it with water, managing to access the battery compartment.