Recently, the National Forensic Service announced the cause of the Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fires that have plunged the nation into so-called electric vehicle phobia over the past two months.


The main points were that the fire started in a part of the battery, that the BMS, which is a battery management system, failed to extract data, and that it cannot be ruled out that the electric vehicle driver may have caused the fire by striking the bottom of the battery.

In other words, the failure to extract various data from the BMS is of unknown cause, and the opinion regarding the battery shock has not been completely proven, so it can be said that further investigation by the police is required.

Ultimately, this means that the cause is unknown.

As someone who has already participated as an advisory committee member in the Benz inspection, I judged that this was something that could be expected to some extent.

This is because electric vehicle fires are so hot and can be likened to charcoal to the point of total loss, so it was expected that the analysis would not be easy.

In the current reality where negative views on electric vehicles still remain, a good solution can be presented if the cause is accurately identified, but concerns are expected to increase as the cause is identified as unknown.

The causes of electric vehicle fires that I always mention are overcharging, overdischarging, and battery cells. A fire can occur due to a variety of factors, including defective BMS, motor overheating, and other causes, and the causes can be combined, so the statement in this announcement that it started in a part of the battery cell means that it is difficult to determine who is responsible for the fire.

The aforementioned battery cell defect may be due to a manufacturing defect by the battery company itself, or it may be caused by repeated impacts to the ground due to the driver driving the electric vehicle too hard, or by accumulated causes such as flooded roads.

Electric vehicle fires are expected to continue to occur more frequently, but the problem is that it is not easy to identify the cause after an outbreak.

As mentioned earlier, as the fire spreads from the battery, the temperature often exceeds 1,000 degrees, leading to thermal runaway, which completely burns out, destroying any evidence that could even confirm the cause.

The recent Mercedes-Benz electric car fire is said to be the same. In the future, there will be controversy over the location of responsibility in both criminal and civil cases, and it could last for several years. In the end, damages to approximately 500 apartment residents are expected to be large and a long lawsuit. This means that the worries will increase.

The announcement from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation in this issue suggests that the possibility of a fire occurring due to the driver's impact on the floor of an electric vehicle is significant.

First, in this case, it was expected that it would not have been easy to mention the driver's fault since the fire occurred after the electric vehicle was parked in the parking lot for about 60 hours, but the burden on the driver has greatly increased with the National Forensic Service's mention of it.

The fact that this was mentioned by the nation's top experts carries considerable weight. Of course, the bottom of an electric car usually has at least some scratches.

Therefore, the part mentioned so far means that the fire started in the battery cell area where a large impact was made and traces remained. If the police cannot confirm this part in detail and provide evidence in the future, this meaning is expected to be diluted.

Although it can be said that there is considerable suspicion confirmed by traces, etc., it is not yet complete evidence.

I was there as an expert on the Mercedes-Benz electric car investigation, but I am also worried about whether this trace can be proven as perfect evidence. Depending on the future situation, it is also possible that it could end with the aforementioned unknown cause.

There is a second concern: even if proven, it is not easy for the driver to obtain compensation.

It is worrisome that an individual cannot afford to pay the estimated 100 billion won in damages, but this announcement by the National Forensic Service is expected to be controversial as it could, depending on the nuance, give a free pass to the manufacturers and battery companies.

In addition, it is difficult to prove that the battery was repeatedly shocked, but it cannot be ruled out that the shock from operating an electric vehicle may have a trigger effect on battery cells that originally had some problems.

In other words, a convergent cause is also possible. This is an issue that carries with it a very complex problem.

The third thing I always mention is the education of drivers on how to drive electric vehicles. For several years now, I have always mentioned the need for basic training and manuals that can teach the differences in electric vehicle safety driving and structure.

He also mentioned that after this electric vehicle fire, driver safety education must be mandatory along with the popularization of electric vehicles before comprehensive measures are put in place by various government departments.

However, there is no mention of this in this comprehensive plan. On the other hand, there are still many cases where I receive requests for safety education related to electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles should be considered as a new means of transportation, not a modified means of transportation that only contains batteries and motors instead of engines and transmissions, unlike internal combustion engine vehicles. In a word, they should be considered as moving home appliances.

Therefore, the differences between operators are also significant. It has the inherent characteristics of one-pedal driving, zero-to-100 km/h acceleration, pros and cons of regenerative braking, and differences in maintenance, and of course, it has the characteristic of hitting the most speed bumps in the world when driven due to the battery being placed on the floor.

We can say that we have a lot of experience driving internal combustion engine vehicles, peeling off the paint on national highways and hitting speed bumps of different heights and widths.

However, electric vehicles can cause short circuits in battery cells if they are repeatedly impacted by the bottom of the battery, and in the case of flooded roads, they cannot pass if more than half of their tires are submerged due to their lower ground clearance compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, and a detour must be found.

It is very different from the internal combustion engine vehicles we know, such as not charging with wet hands and ensuring safety by controlling the charging rate.

As mentioned earlier in the National Forensic Service's announcement regarding the cause of the recent Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fire, the fact that it cannot be completely ruled out that the fire occurred due to a problem with the battery caused by the electric vehicle driver's shock to the battery emphasizes the importance of my statement even more.

This announcement will make manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor Group and government departments aware of the importance of electric vehicle safety education, and it is expected that the police will conduct a separate supplementary investigation into the National Forensic Service's findings.

This announcement further emphasizes that electric vehicle drivers should abandon the idea of simply driving and always drive with consideration for the differences and characteristics.

Electric vehicles are not yet a perfect means of transportation, and as they develop, their shortcomings are being improved and they are developing into a perfect means of transportation. The point is that if a shortcoming is exposed to that extent, it can escalate into a problem and grow into a serious problem that can even result in casualties.

Ultimately, this announcement is a case that further reminds electric vehicle owners of the importance of safe driving. I hope that this incident will lead to a mature outcome as soon as possible and that it will be an opportunity to turn things around.