The Dutch fire service has been researching the fire safety of charging stations for electric cars in covered parking garages for some time. This now leads to a package of advice for the owners of such garages.
At the end of February, the fire brigade, together with the Institute for Physical Safety (IFV), already announced that it is busy mapping out potentially dangerous situations around charging stations for electric cars in covered parking garages. Back then, the fire brigade already shared the first advice, but now a more extensive advice is ready.
To begin with, it is advised to place EV charging facilities as much as possible at the entrances and exits of the garage. It is also useful to place the places as close to street level as possible. It is also advised not to place the loading places close to emergency exits. In addition, it is wise to choose well-ventilated places. The next point is to provide a centrally placed main switch with which all charging facilities can be switched off at once. According to the fire brigade, it would be nice if this switch could work automatically.
The fire brigade also says that it is important to ensure rapid detection and alarms. “Ensure that fire alarms are followed up quickly, so that a possible fire is noticed quickly,” the advice reads. It is also good to look at measures to actively control a fire. Shielding between the vehicles could be a solution, but extensive research remains to be done. Furthermore, it is always smart to install an active fire extinguishing system. According to the fire brigade, it is also of the utmost importance that the loading facilities are only installed, managed and maintained by experts. Finally, it is recommended to provide adequate coverage for fire damage insurance.
According to the parties, it is very important that the advice is handled carefully, because the number of electric cars has increased in a short period of time. This while the majority of the car parks are designed with the traditional cars as a starting point. Faults in the car or charging installation can cause ‘spontaneous’ fires in EVs, which are often very difficult to extinguish due to the substances present in the batteries. If this happens in a parking garage, this can have unforeseen consequences.