The Audi e-tron GT has been recalled on many occasions in the past over fire concerns
In a rather horrifying incident, an Audi e-tron GT was consumed by fire at a dealership. Incidentally, the electric supercar was on a forklift for servicing when the incident occurred. The unfortunate trend of EVs catching fire continues. I must mention here that while the fire incidents with EVs, on average, are still low, the fact that these are nigh impossible to douse is a grave concern. I am sure you must’ve heard about ‘thermal runaway’. That makes things particularly complicated and perilous for firefighters.
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Audi e-tron GT Catches Fire
The incident surfaced online after the Carmel Fire Department from Indiana shared the information via a Facebook post. The images are quite scary. As per the details, the vehicle was on the lift in the maintenance area when the smoke and flames emerged from the EV. Thankfully, the sprinklers were activated immediately and prevented the fire from spreading in the vicinity. The firefighters emerged on the scene swiftly. They were encountered by thick smoke.
The fact that the electric sportscar was in the air didn’t help either. Somehow, the team was able to bring it down and get it out of the dealership. The department contained the fire for the most part but acknowledged that li-ion fires are “nearly impossible to fully extinguish due to thermal runaway.” Once outside, the vehicle was transferred onto a flatbed truck and taken to an isolated location.
What is important to report is that no one was injured in this accident. For the most part, the condition of the dealership was also fine except for smoke due to fire and wetness due to the water. Looking at the condition of the EV, it seems a case of total loss. The entire front fascia and the bonnet area are in a dilapidated condition. Finally, the details pertaining to the reasons for this remain unknown.
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Learn Electric Cars Says
The situation with the Audi e-tron GT is quite complicated. It was recalled back in March over high-voltage batteries that may short circuit and result in a fire. At the time, 1,042 units were recalled. This hints at the fact that the German luxury car marque already had an idea that something could go wrong. Perhaps, this was a result of that issue. In any case, fires in EVs are extremely challenging to deal with due to the phenomenon of “thermal runaway.”
This means that the very materials that are burning inside the battery are serving as fuel for that fire to continue. Adding water is also not helpful. That is why these fires can even go on for days despite efforts from the firemen. Hence, innovative and unique approaches are deployed to contain such flames. Going forward, we can only hope that such cases reduce (honestly, these are already too few in number) and effective measures are developed to deal with such situations.