Five cars have been destroyed at Sydney airport after the lithium-ion battery of a luxury electric car ignited, sparking a fire that spread to four surrounding cars.
Firefighters were called to a car park on Airport Drive in Mascot about 8.30pm on Monday night and they extinguished the blaze alongside the Aviation Rescue Firefighting Service.
The battery that sparked the fire had been detached from the car.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) superintendent Adam Dewberry said crews believed the battery had been removed from the car because it was mechanically damaged.
“If lithium batteries do suffer mechanical damage or a knock they are susceptible to ignite,” he said.
“Our advice to anyone with an electric vehicle that has a knock or is not operating the way it should is to get it into a dealership and have the technicians look at it.”
The accident comes after firefighters warned last month they feared being “overwhelmed” by increasing numbers of battery fires.
But Dewberry said e-scooters and electric bikes were of most concern, and electric cars batteries were considered low risk given the batteries are held to “higher and rigorous standards”.
“You can’t compare the batteries that are in electric vehicles with smaller power tools, e-scooters and bikes. They are completely different,” he said. “People need to be aware that vehicle lithium batteries are much lower risk.”
Members of FRNSW’s investigation and research unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, and research officers from FRNSW’s Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies have inspected the site.
FRNSW said the insights gained from the investigation will assist with informing the industry on lithium battery risks and how to respond to battery related fires.
