EV fires in Malaysia

• Neta V catches fire after hitting lorry tyre on PLUS

  In Cars, Local News, Neta, Videos / By Jonathan James Tan / 9 November 2024 7:38 pm / 31 comments

  

  

  A Neta V caught fire after hitting a lorry tyre on the PLUS highway, KM 277.6 northbound, in the early hours of Saturday (November 9) morning, with all occupants – a driver and two passengers – escaping unharmed.

  After receiving an emergency call at 3.31 am, the Seremban 2 Fire and Rescue Station dispatched a fire rescue tender, a tanker, two motorcycles and a nine-member team to the scene. Upon finding the EV totally engulfed in flames, the team put out the fire using a portable water mist, two initial hoses, and a foam hose. The operation ended at 6.10 am.

  The driver has taken to Facebook to say that his car hit a tyre on the fast lane that got detached from a broken-down lorry by the road shoulder. He said the airbags deployed and he managed to steer the car to the emergency lane and stop. He added that all equipment and the control screen remained operational, including the power tailgate, which could still open, allowing the occupants to retrieve all their belongings. Unfortunately, five minutes later, the Neta V began sparking and then caught fire.

  Neta’s Malaysian distributor Intro Synergy has released an official statement to say that “at this stage, there is no indication of any product defect or malfunction”, and that it “appears to have been an isolated accident involving external road hazards.”

  Intro Synergy added that it is working closely and cooperating fully with the authorities. It has deployed its technical team and is currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the precise cause of the fire, with further updates to come as soon as more information becomes available.

  This is the fifth known EV fire in Malaysia so far this year. Of the other four, one happened during charging and three were due to accidents.

  @utusantvofficial 9 NOV 24: Begini cara Bomba padam api kereta elektrik terbakar. Anggota membuat pemadaman menggunakan satu portable water mist, dua aliran salur bantu mula dan satu aliran hose berserta foam sehingga api terpadam. 📽 milik @theredsaviors #beritaditiktok #trendingnewsmalaysia #fyp #evterbakar #neta ♬ original sound – UtusanTV

  

  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

   

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• Mercedes-Benz EQB catches fire at dealership charger in Johor, cause of fire still under investigation

  In Cars, Local News, Mercedes-Benz / By Paul Tan / 1 January 2024 2:53 pm / 35 comments

  

  Welcome to 2024 and we’re hoping you’re having a good one so far. At least, one that’s better than the owner of this Mercedes-Benz EQB, whose car caught on fire yesterday.

  According to reports, the incident happened around 245pm yesterday. The fire was successfully put out by 10 firefighters.

  From photos, observed that the fire was put out while there was still significant sunlight so it must not have taken very long, which is atypical of reports of EV battery fires overseas where the fire took up to 24 hours to put out because of constant re-ignition.

  

  So far we have been very lucky with EV fires in Malaysia, as all of the reported fires have been put out swiftly. The last one before this case was the Tesla Model Y fire in Puchong back in October 2023. Still no post mortem report from that case yet, and we suspect this EQB case will take a while too.

  While we should not speculate, we think the relative ease of which the fire was put out in both cases means the battery was not involved. It was just like an ICE car fire, which by the way happens all the time too.

  In case you’re wondering, comprehensive motor insurance does cover fire damage. It does not require special perils add-on which is needed for flood damage.

   

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• Tesla Model Y seen burning in Puchong last night – first recorded case of EV fire in Malaysia?

  In Cars, Local News / By Paul Tan / 17 October 2023 8:12 am / 61 comments

  

  Social media was set ablaze last night with videos of what appears to be the first case of an electric car on fire in Malaysia. Footage of a white Tesla Model Y said to be parked near Skypod in Puchong was seen posted on various social media groups.

  Of course from just videos it’s easy to speculate but the truth is at this point no one can say for sure what caused it. It’s best to wait for a report from the authorities. We read social media comments that firefighters reached the scene swiftly and managed to put out the fire with ease.

  It’s worth pointing out that there are a few angles available and they show fire mainly concentrated around the front end and left wheel arch. In a Tesla Model Y, the batteries are in the underfloor of the car below the passenger cabin, so to our untrained eye it does not look like this is a battery fire.

  

  As of this morning, there have been photos uploaded of the Tesla Model Y already safely at a repair workshop. The glass roof and windows have been damaged from the heat of the fire, but it does not look like there are signs of fire where the battery is.

  Back in April 2023, there were reports of an “electric vehicle fire” in front of Suria KLCC. The “vehicles” in question were scooters belonging to a mobility rental company Beam.

  In that case, the cause of the fire was arson, and a 34 year old man was remanded for investigation under Section 435 of the Penal Code: mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage.

  Footage of Bomba in action during last night's Tesla Model Y fire

  source: Whatsapp forwards pic.twitter.com/DklTDzKy1F

  — Paul Tan's Automotive News (@paultan) October 17, 2023

   

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