EVs banned from underground carparks in popular EV market

Businesses in the Chinese province of Zhejiang have reportedly started banning electric vehicles (EVs) from their underground carparks amidst concerns over spontaneous combustion.

According to Radio Free Asia, a five-star hotel in Hangzhou and another in Xiaoshan have implemented bans.

The security manager of a five-star hotel in Hangzhou told local media “based on the characteristics of electric vehicle fires and our hotel’s firefighting capabilities, we think it safer not to allow them into the underground garage”.

This hotel banned EVs from its basement parking earlier this month, with signs at the carpark’s entrance pointing EV drivers to “reserved wide parking spaces” outside.

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The hotel cited recent incidents involving fires caused by EVs.

One such incident occurred on August 19, when a fire began in the basement car park of a building in Guangzhou, reportedly caused by thermal runaway of an EV battery. Three cars and “several electric bicycles” were involved before firefighters were able contain the fire.

Local news reports have suggested there have been at least 11 cases of spontaneous EV combustion in the province’s capital, Hangzhou, from April 30 to May 4.

A mechanic in Hangzhou told Radio Free Asia people were concerned over EV safety after seeing videos online involving vehicle fires.

“We’ve seen so many cases of electric vehicles going up in flames spontaneously, or causing major fires in collisions and accidents,” he said.

“A lot of basement parking lots are designed with low ceilings, meaning that fire trucks can’t get inside.”

In a https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1833077582604173520, user whyyoutouzhele shared a series of photos taken in the province depicting signs outside carpark entrances, explaining concerns over safety and directing EV owners to “dedicated wide parking spaces” as an alternative.

“China’s new energy vehicle safety accidents are frequent, and a number of hotels and office buildings in Zhejiang Province have banned new energy vehicles from parking in underground garages,” the X user said.

China is the largest EV market globally, with more than 16 million units sold in 2023 alone. The government has offered generous subsidies to EV manufacturers, while many carmakers have slashed prices to boost local demand.

The ban in Zhejiang follows a similar movement in South Korea, where the Seoul Metropolitan Government advised EV drivers not to use underground carparks if their batteries are holding more than 90 per cent charge.

Its introduction followed a fire in an underground car park caused by a Mercedes-Benz EQE in August, which wasn’t charging or fully charged at the time. A Kia EV6 met a similar fate soon after in another underground carpark while it was connected to a charger.

A number of carmakers including Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have all provided the South Korean government with a list of their respective battery suppliers in a bid to reduce EV owners’ fire anxiety.

Australian company EV FireSafe says EV battery fires are rare.

According to its data, it says there have been 511 verified EV battery fires globally between 2010 and June 30, 2024, 117 of which occurred in underground or enclosed spaces.

It has warned the greater risk comes not from EVs, but from light electric vehicles (LEVs) such as e-bikes and scooters.

MORE: EV battery fires spark safety clampdown in South KoreaMORE: Major city won’t let you park your EV undergroundMORE: South Korea asks carmakers to name and shame battery suppliers after EV firesMORE: Mercedes-Benz EV fire leaves path of car park destruction