Fire incidents in highway capable vehicles occur relatively frequently. A study of U.S. fires from 2003–2007 finds that fire departments respond to an average of 287,000 vehicle fires per year, or 30 vehicle fires per hour, and that vehicles were involved in 17% of all reported U.S. fires.[12] The study also finds that roughly 53 highway vehicle fires and 0.15 highway vehicle fire deaths were reported per billion miles driven.
Myth: Electric vehicles catch fire more often and are more dangerous than gasoline vehicles. The myth has been dispelled: just as your gas car can catch fire, so can an electric vehicle (EV) catch fire.
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Industry Statistics
Here are some alarming industry statistics regarding electric car fires:
The NFPA reports that there are roughly 170,000 car fires annually, and of those, around 4,000 are electric cars.
A study by the German automobile club ADAC found that electric cars are four times more likely to catch fire compared to gas-powered cars.
As per the reports, the most common cause of electric car fires is related to battery or charging.