Why Might Ships Carrying Electric Vehicles Sink?

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular today as a step towards sustainability, but transportation of electric vehicles Authorities are a little worried about it.

of batteries fire security, It stands out as one of the biggest risks encountered during transportation.

So what’s the real deal?

Until a few years ago, ship fires were rare events. However, especially recently Fires on ships carrying electric vehicles started to be seen more frequently.

So what does this issue have to do with electric vehicles? If we go through the example; The Felicity Ace ship is an inextinguishable ship in 2022 after vehicle fire It sank off the coast of the Azores, and in August 2023 the ship Fremantle Highway was similarly destroyed. In flames in the North Sea remained.

The fires on both Felicity Ace and the Fremantle Highway are suspected to have been exacerbated by the presence of electric vehicles.

FelicityAge

There is currently no evidence that electric vehicles cause fires. Although it has no proven effect insurer Allianz, warned for the transportation of electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries.

Fremantle Highway

The lithium in lithium-ion batteries is not elemental because it is very reactive, instead it is mixed with a metal oxide such as cobalt oxide.

For example, water absorbs heat; carbon dioxide, oxygen; foam eliminates both heat and oxygen. However, lithium-ion batteries They burn so intensely An enormous amount of water is required to extinguish them.

Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to extinguish even a single electric vehicle.

united kingdom Maritime and Coast Guard Agency, It takes approximately 4,000 liters of water to extinguish a normal burning car, but each electric car 10,000 liters of water has published a guide stating that this may be required.

In addition, it is not enough to just hold water on the vehicle; it also Directing water to the battery pack as well It is necessary.

Lithium, when combined with a metal oxide such as cobalt oxide It actually produces oxygen during the combustion process. So no matter how much carbon dioxide the deck is filled with, the batteries will just produce more oxygen.

Of course, we should not forget that the issue we are talking about is just a claim, as batteries It is unknown whether he is truly guilty or not. and we need a solid scientific basis to understand the risks.

As the popularity of electric vehicles increases, the maritime industry must adapt to this new reality. However technological advances, faster than the development of safety standards…

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