500 EVs Among The 3000 Cars On Burning Ship Off Dutch Coast

The large roll-on, roll-off ship ablaze off the Dutch coast is transporting 500 electrical autos. The ship’s whole cargo is round 3,800 autos, a few of that are BMWs and Mercedes.

Shipping weblog TradeWinds reported Japan’s Okay Line is the operator of “Fremantle Highway.” According to Okay Line’s figures, there are 3,783 autos, of which 489 are EVs. Earlier estimates had the variety of EVs at 25. 

“The figure is far higher than first estimated and appears to raise the likelihood that a lithium-ion battery in an EV either caused the blaze in the 6,210-ceu Fremantle Highway (built 2013) or added to its severity,” TradeWinds mentioned. 

Reuters identified that the Dutch coastguard mentioned the hearth’s origin is unknown, however Dutch broadcaster RTL mentioned emergency responders had been heard saying, “The fire started in the battery of an electric car.”

The hearth broke out late Tuesday evening on board the vessel. Coastguard officers mentioned the hearth “could still burn for days.” The newest identified place of the ship was off the northern Dutch coast on Wednesday. 

Nathan Habers, spokesperson for the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, informed Reuters, “When transporting electric cars powered by batteries – which when they catch fire can’t be extinguished with water, or even by oxygen deprivation.” 

One important threat for lithium-ion batteries is “thermal runaway” throughout a fireplace that’s arduous to extinguish and might spontaneously reignite. Yet one other threat emerges as governments set decarbonization targets for the transportation sector.