Just saw this trending on Weibo and some news sites. Apparently, several residential compounds in China are now strictly banning Electric Vehicles (EVs) from parking in underground basements.
They are citing “uncontrollable fire hazards” and the fact that if one battery goes, the fire spreads so fast in an enclosed space that the whole block is at risk. Some condos are even installing thermal cameras or just flat-out telling owners to park their BYDs and Teslas at open-air surface lots far away from the units.
The quote going viral is: “No EV savings is worth it if u die.”
Honestly, looking at those videos of how fast lithium fires escalate… can you imagine this happening in our HDB multi-storey carparks or those tight condo basements in Orchard?
What do you guys think? Is Singapore being too “garang” with the EV push, or is China just overreacting because of a few bad cases?
Netizens say:
LTA is pushing EVs so hard, but our infrastructure is all built “up” or “down.” If one EV catches fire in a B3 basement of a 50-storey condo, how to even bring the fire engine down? Thermal runaway is no joke, once it starts, you can only pray.
“No EV savings is worth it if u die” — Realest thing I’ve read today. People talk about $0.15/km savings but forget that lithium fires need like 10x more water to extinguish and release toxic fumes.
My condo management already talking about this in the last AGM. The insurance premiums for buildings with EV chargers are apparently creeping up. Wait until the MCST increases the management fee, then all the non-EV owners will start complaining.
Boomer mindset. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars also catch fire what. Petrol is literally flammable liquid. Just because it’s new tech everyone scares until like that.
Bro, ICE fire can be put out with a normal extinguisher. EV fire is a chemical reaction that creates its own oxygen. You cannot “smother” it. Big difference leh.