Mercedes-Benz fire sparks EV safety overhaul in South Korea

With investigations failing to pinpoint the fire’s cause, the overhaul seeks to prevent future incidents and protect consumers

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Officials conduct a forensic examination of an electric car that caught fire in an underground car park in Incheon, South Korea, in August. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters

Published: 10:53am, 2 Dec 2024

A dramatic fire that left many South Koreans in a panic about the reliability of electric vehicles has prompted the country to take unprecedented measures to assuage public fears over battery safety.

Four months ago, an unplugged Mercedes-Benz electric sedan caught fire and exploded, destroying an underground car park in Incheon, west of Seoul. The blaze left more than 200 families homeless for weeks and took firefighters more than eight hours to extinguish.

The incident quickly soured public perception of battery-powered cars, with most of the news coverage and posts on social media focused around the risk of EV fires and South Korea’s lack of safety regulations. Discussions among car manufacturers and lawmakers followed, leading the government to announce an overhaul of EV policies in early September.

The new set of regulations included mandating carmakers disclose the brands of their batteries, expanding the scope of safety inspections for existing EVs and preventing vehicles from being fully charged.

Charging a Mercedes-Benz EV. South Korea has introduced third-party safety tests in the wake of the fire earlier this year. Photo: Felix Wong

The government has also directly stepped in to ensure the safety of batteries via a state-run certification system. The pilot project has been running since mid-October with five companies taking part, including carmakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. as well as cell manufacturer LG Energy Solution Ltd.

The project is aimed at improving EV safety by having the government examine and certify the safety of EV batteries before installation. Before the initiative, EVs were sold in South Korea without any third-party safety tests. Under the new system, state-run agencies like the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute will put batteries through their paces before installation, ensuring they meet government-backed safety certification standards.