[Report] This Is What Happens When You Bake an Electric Car Battery at 800℃

Automotive Safety Research Institute Gwangju Eco-Friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center
Equipped with Actual Electric Vehicle Battery Fire Durability Demonstration Facility
"Both People and Batteries Must Be Safe Even in Electric Vehicle Accidents"
Battery Fire Test LPG Fuel Proposed by Korea for International Standards

What happens if you forcibly set fire to an electric vehicle (EV) battery? Will the battery catch fire if an EV falls into seawater or experiences a sudden heavy impact? It is said that fires in EVs are difficult to extinguish, so is there a safety concern?

As the adoption of electric vehicles increases, interest in safety is also growing. Automobiles have more stringent safety standards than any other product. However, since EVs have only recently become widespread, the standards are not yet fully established. This is why major countries around the world, including South Korea, are working together to develop safety standards.

On the 25th, a battery fire test is being conducted in the fire test chamber at the Eco-friendly Automotive Parts Certification Center of the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute. The battery surrounded by flames in the center is from a Kona electric vehicle.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Eco-friendly Vehicle Automobile and Parts Certification Center Opens
Largest Fire Reproduction Testing Facility in Korea

The Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center at the Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute, visited on the 23rd, is an institution that tests and evaluates the safety of various eco-friendly vehicles, focusing on electric vehicles. Like conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, it can conduct collision and impact tests, but it is also equipped with battery-related testing facilities. This is the only place in Korea where the safety performance of electric vehicles and related parts can be comprehensively evaluated in one location. The main facilities were revealed to the press one day before the official opening.

The fire test chamber located behind the battery testing building is considered the largest facility in Korea capable of simulating vehicle fires. It can conduct fire reproduction tests on full-size buses. On this day, an experiment was conducted by setting fire to the battery pack used in a Hyundai Kona electric vehicle. The test aims to examine whether the battery can withstand fire or heat transfer when an EV fire or nearby fire occurs.

Preparing for a battery fire test in the fire test chamber inside the battery testing building of the Eco-friendly Automotive Parts Certification Center.
[Photo by Korea Automotive Journalists Association]

Electric vehicle battery after fire demonstration. The plastic on the exterior of the battery pack melted and emitted acrid smoke. There was no fire inside the battery pack nor did the internal temperature rise. After the fire was extinguished, the battery was monitored for about three more hours to check for any issues.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Inside the chamber, the battery was placed on the combustion equipment in the center, and fire was applied from below at a temperature exceeding 800℃ for about 60 seconds. After about 30 seconds, the plastic exterior of the battery pack began to burn, producing acrid smoke. The smoke was expelled through a large exhaust fan connected to the ceiling and underwent a separate purification process.

After the fire was extinguished, the battery was inspected and only the outer part was burned. Visually, the fire did not spread inside the battery nor did it explode. The internal temperature of the battery did not rise. Since fires inside batteries are difficult to extinguish, the battery must withstand external fires for a certain period without the fire spreading. In actual tests, fire is applied for about 180 seconds. After extinguishing, the battery is monitored for about three hours to check for any issues.

Moon Bohyun, a senior researcher at the Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute, said, "This test is to verify that the vehicle and battery remain safe even if a fire occurs around an electric vehicle. If problems are found during the development stage, the manufacturer is contacted to identify the cause and make improvements."

Battery Test Chamber for Fire Testing at the Eco-friendly Automotive Parts Certification Center, Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Electric vehicle battery pack displayed in the battery testing building at the Eco-friendly Automobile Parts Certification Center of the Electric Vehicle Safety Research Institute
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Combustion Using LPG Instead of Gasoline... Higher Temperature
Korea's Proposed Testing Standard Becomes Global Standard
Battery-Specific Certification Institution to Operate from 2025

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is used as the combustion fuel to achieve fire temperatures above 800℃. While major countries such as those in Europe have traditionally used gasoline, which burns at a lower temperature than LPG, Korea proposed using LPG, leading to a change in standards allowing the use of either gasoline or LPG. This is the first case where Korean standards have been incorporated during the international process of setting automobile and parts performance evaluation criteria.

In addition to this, battery tests include 12 types such as short-circuit tests, overcharge and discharge tests, impact and compression tests, and drop tests. This is two more than the 10 tests required by international standards. Batteries must endure harsh conditions such as being pressed with a 10-ton weight or being exposed to 80℃ for extended periods to be recognized as safe.

Electric Vehicle Battery Flooding Test Room. The water in the tank has a salinity level similar to seawater. Flooding in daily life, such as during floods, usually involves water with lower salinity than this.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Flooding tests have been conducted only in Korea until recently, but China has also introduced them. It is reported that the United States, which suffered severe flood damage from hurricanes, is considering adopting these tests. Senior researcher Moon said, "Since there is a possibility of ignition after submersion, the battery is directly immersed in a tank filled with water of salinity similar to seawater. If a battery passes this test, it means that even if an electric vehicle falls into the sea, the battery will not pose a problem."

From 2025, electric vehicle batteries must undergo safety verification by authorities in advance. While Korea's self-certification system allows manufacturers to certify automobiles and parts themselves, batteries must now be pre-certified due to concerns about fire and other risks. As the adoption of electric vehicles is expected to steadily increase in the mid to long term, Korea is recognized for proactively responding to battery safety and evaluation standards.

Jeon Jun-ho, Director of the Automobile Safety Research Institute, is explaining the body strength testing facility on the 23rd.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

Um Sungbok, president of the Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute, said, "In the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) WP.29, which discusses various automobile standards, there has been an increase in the acceptance and positive review of proposals made by Korea. The newly opened center will be operated as a battery-specific certification institution," he added.

Moon Bohyun, Senior Researcher at the Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute, is explaining while watching a real vehicle fire test video on the 23rd.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.