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The end of fires in electric cars: LG patents these new fireproof batteries

Social networks are flooded with videos of electric cars burning. All you have to do is find one in any country in the world and it will go viral in an instant. Even if in some cases it doesn't even have that engine. All those who are against this type of vehicle will have plenty of fodder for several days to continue reaffirming their arguments, but I fear that this will run out very soon.

To begin with, numerous studies have already shown that electric cars catch fire less often than combustion cars, such as the one we published from the OCU. Although of course, once they catch fire, these types of models, due to their composition, are much more difficult to extinguish their flames and firefighters need much more effort to fully control them. Despite these data, there are still many people who do not feel comfortable if their neighbor in the doorway has an electric car or even if some transport ships have completely banned their entry due to the alleged risk, which prevents them from being able to transport them to some islands.

LG is close to finding a solution... Taking into account all these data, we echo a breakthrough that the Korean battery manufacturer LG Chem has achieved with which they are working to make the batteries of electric cars fireproof. It should be remembered that this brand currently supplies its products to brands such as Ford, Volkswagen or Tesla, so their work could soon be in a large majority of cars.

LG Chem engineers have worked closely with the Pohang University of Battery Technology (South Korea) and the final result is quite hopeful. Their creation is a special layer that is placed between the cathode and the current collector, inside the battery pack. It is reinforced with a composition that allows them to suppress thermal runaway.

And that may be the key to stopping batteries from catching fire, or at least to preventing it from happening even more. When the flames do occur, it is probably because a thermal leak has occurred, which does nothing but cause an uncontrolled overheating of the battery. If it then spreads to the neighbouring cells, the whole thing will most likely burn for many hours.

Returning to LG's progress, they have published that this new protective layer is barely a micrometre thick, which is one hundredth of the length of a human hair, to give you an idea. In this way, the current size of the batteries would not be modified, in addition to offering other characteristics such as flexibility and versatility to be able to change their electrical resistance depending on the temperature.

We also know that the different tests carried out by LG have been carried out with batteries with a composition of NCM (nickel, cobalt and manganese), as well as LCO (lithium cobalt oxide). Only the first ones registered a fire, 30% of the sample, and it could be extinguished in a short space of time. There are still many tests to be carried out, but its actual production is not far away.

How to avoid fires in your electric car... While we wait for this advance from LG or other brands that will surely also be studying it, it is not a bad idea to review some tips to avoid a fire in our electric car as much as possible. In the OCU report that I referred to at the beginning, the following points are highlighted:

Do not manipulate or modify any of the electrical components of the car itself

Try to take care of the charging cable as much as possible, keep it in good condition, as well as the same for the electrical installation that you have at home or at work

It is not a bad idea to know how to manually disconnect the electrical circuit of the car to prevent risks

Once a fire occurs, it is best to call the fire department quickly and, at the same time, avoid putting it out with water since a specific type of extinguisher is required

They advise carrying out regular maintenance and the checks recommended by each manufacturer

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