It is not true that electric cars catch on fire more than gasoline cars
We read a lot of news about fires that occur in electric cars, the batteries are blamed for being the cause of these accidents, and on many occasions it is said that these cars have a greater risk of burning.
The belief that electric cars catch on fire more than gasoline cars is a myth that has spread in recent years. However, the reality is that electric cars have a much lower risk of fire than gasoline cars.
There is a series of evidence that supports this claim. Firstly, statistics show that electric cars catch onfire much less frequently than gasoline cars. According to the National Fire Protection Association of the United States (NFPA), the fire risk of an electric car is three times lower than that of a gasoline car.
And according to data from the National Transportation Safety Board (in the USA), for every 100,000 gasoline cars sold, 1,530 were involved in fires; and in the case of electric cars, for every 100,000 cars sold, 25 of them suffered fires.
And data in the same direction has been obtained in Sweden where electric and hybrid cars account for more than 40% of car sales. In 2022, fires occurred in 24 electric cars, which represent 0.004% of this type of cars sold, and on the other hand, in the case of gasoline cars the percentage was 0.08%, which is 20 times more.
In conclusion, there is no evidence to support the claim that electric cars catch on fire more than gasoline cars. In fact, available evidence suggests that electric cars have a much lower fire risk.
By way of explanation, I think what happens is that we have been living with gasoline cars for more than 100 years, and the fact that some of them burn (for very different reasons) we see as something normal and not as something newsworthy.
And since electric cars constitute in some way a certain novelty, the fact that one burns (for very different reasons) can lead someone to publish it as something worth mentioning. And today news spreads around the world very quickly.
To improve the situation a little, authorities are also enacting new regulations to improve the safety of electric cars. These standards include requirements for electric cars to be equipped with safety systems that detect and extinguish fires.
In Europe, the Motor Vehicle Directive (2007/46/EC) includes a rule requiring electric cars to be equipped with a fire extinguishing system that detects fire in the battery and extinguishes it.
And in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering enacting a similar rule.
It is important that cars are as safe as possible, but it is also important that we know that electric cars are less likely to catch on fire than gasoline cars. It is an objective data!!
