9 electric buses burned in a massive Taiwanese EV fire
The EV fire is a relatively new challenge for vehicle owners and first responders. Gas-powered vehicles can present a serious fire risk. However, the lithium-ion batteries in EVs can lead to phenomena like “thermal runaway,” wherein cells overheat and combust. Unfortunately, it can cause destructive fires like the recently burned electric buses in a Taiwanese depot.
A massive EV fire at a Taichung City bus depot destroyed eight electric buses and damaged a ninth
Just days after vehicle-born lithium-ion batteries burned a state-of-the-art fire station to the ground in Germany, Taiwan is dealing with a battery-fed inferno. However, rather than consuming a 25-million Euro fire station, the Taiwanese EV fire claimed nine electric buses on a lot at a bus depot.
Taiwan News reports that the fire started within the Taichung City bus depot. The depot hosted multiple electric buses parked in close proximity. However, the bus depot didn’t see much activity as the company was defunct. Still, that didn’t stop the electric buses from igniting in an intense EV fire. Officials suspect that the lithium-ion batteries aboard the buses may have been the cause of the inferno.
Consequently, the Taichung City Fire Department responded in force. The authorities reportedly dispatched 46 firefighters and 21 fire apparatuses to quell the blaze. However, despite the best efforts of the firefighters, the blaze destroyed eight electric buses and damaged another.
As of now, the Taichung City Fire Department says it’s investigating the origin of the fire. However, “the buses’ lithium-ion batteries or other electrical issues” as likely causes, per Taiwan News. Still, the recent history of the bus company responsible for the battery-powered buses is questionable at best.
Specifically, the burned buses were the product of the Sifang Electric Bus Company, a defunct transportation company. Incidentally, banking institutions took possession of many of the Sifang Electric Bus Company’s fleet after the company declared bankruptcy in 2023. However, that didn’t happen before labor disputes prompted the company’s employees to quit.
