Mercedes EV fire leads to garage parking ban, safety concerns rise in South Korea

Management teams of office buildings and apartment complexes in South Korea are considering measures to address the risk of fire after an electric vehicle explosion. More than 200 families were evacuated due to the fire incident.

According to fire officials, an unplugged electric Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire in the underground car parking of an apartment complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, last Thursday. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Government, more than 700 residents were evacuated due to water and power cuts. And about 140 cars were damaged by the fire. 23 people injured in the incident were hospitalized.

According to notices on social media, many office buildings have now banned the entry and parking of EVs, while some apartment management committees are advising EV owners to be cautious while charging their cars.

The incident has shocked the South Korean public at a time when growth in EV sales is slowing globally. Although fires are more common in cars with combustion engines, negative sentiment towards EVs and the risk of fire from their batteries have contributed to consumers putting off buying electric cars, for reasons including high initial costs and a lack of reliable charging infrastructure.

"Honestly it's quite scary and will definitely be discussed at our regular resident meeting this month. The country needs to change everything from fire safety standards, legislation, and charging infrastructure to address the risk of EV fires," Wen Moon, a 37-year-old resident of Gyeonggi province surrounding the capital, said by phone, according to media reports.

Mercedes-Benz Korea said in a statement that it would fully cooperate with authorities in investigating the cause of the fire. However, it declined to comment further.

Social media is now discussing the safety of EV batteries in Korea, causing some people to reconsider their next car purchase plans.

Users of an online community chat for Tesla Inc. were debating on Tuesday whether they should cancel their order. One EV owner complained that a shipping company refused to take his car to Jeju Island. Another EV owner said that the use of EV chargers in his office building has been banned.

The number of car fires for both internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs has increased every year since at least 2017, according to a 2023 report from Korea's National Fire Agency. However, EV fires are usually more difficult to extinguish. Because lithium-ion battery fires burn hotter than gasoline ones. And it burns for a long time.

Most South Koreans live in high-density apartments, which means a large portion of charging stations are in buildings' underground garages. Newly constructed apartments and buildings of certain sizes are legally required to install EV chargers.

Following last week's incident, Song Eunseog, a lawmaker from the ruling party, has proposed amendments to the country's parking lot act to ensure better safety and limit EV battery fires.