Mercedes-Benz Korea discloses EV battery maker list after fire

This is the Mercedes-Benz logo on a wheel of a GLE 450e 4MATIC SUV automobile on display at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show in Pittsburgh, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Mercedes-Benz Korea released the names of its electric vehicle battery suppliers on Tuesday, bowing to public outrage after one of its cars burst into flame in a parking lot earlier this month.

The August 1 fire damaged hundreds of vehicles and created a national panic, with car parks across South Korea imposing a wave of adhoc restrictions amid growing calls for transparency on battery supply chains.

South Korea is a major producer of batteries and electric vehicles, including local carmakers Hyundai and Kia, with EVs making up 9.3 percent of new cars purchased last year, higher than in the US.

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“Although the analysis is still in progress, the CCTV footage suggests that this fire exhibits all the signs of being caused by a battery,” a spokesman at the Incheon Fire Department told AFP.

According to experts, battery fires are tougher to extinguish than conventional ones due to the thermal runaway effect — a chain reaction within battery cells.

The Mercedes-Benz model EQE 350 that exploded into flames had a battery from Chinese manufacturer Farasis Energy, Mercedes Korea disclosed on its website Tuesday.

Local media have shown dramatic images of the car catching fire, causing a blaze that destroyed 40 vehicles in the parking lot, with the fire department saying some 23 residents were hospitalised for smoke inhalation.

Fire authorities are investigating the deactivation of the car park’s sprinkler system in the fire’s initial minutes, with local media speculating a maintenance worker may have thought it had been activated in error.

The incident has heightened concerns about the safety of electric vehicles, prompting some apartment complexes to ban EVs from underground parking and to shut down charging stations.

Other Mercedes battery suppliers include South Korean companies LG Energy Solution and SK On and China’s CATL, the company revealed Tuesday.

The fire has sparked a public demand for mandatory disclosure of battery suppliers by EV manufacturers, a measure the government is reportedly considering, according to local media.

“The government must compel both domestic and foreign carmakers to disclose information about battery supplies so that over 500,000 owners of EV vehicles can understand the degree of fire risk,” the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial.

One proposal being considered is banning EVs from underground parking areas when their charge exceeds 90 percent, citing the increased fire risk.