A Full-scale Fire Test on Electric Vehiclein an Underground Car Parks

Abstract

A full-scale test was conducted to evaluate the risk of a modern battery electric vehicle (BEV) fire in an underground car park. A test rig 7,800 × 7,800 × 2,300 mm in size was built to simulate the corner segment of an underground car park. The BEV was positioned in a parking bay at a corner of the structure . The lithium-ion battery pack was heated using an electric heating sheet to activate thermal runaway inside the pack. The temperature distribution in the internal space of the test rig was measured using a thermocouple. The incident heat fluxes on neighboring cars were also estimated using heat flux gauges positioned around the test vehicle. Deflagration venting was observed instantaneously after the initial ignition of the flammable gas accumulated under the ceiling of the test rig. This phenomenon accelerated the growth of the BEV fire, resulting in an average ceiling jet temperature of 1,000 ℃ and a peak heat flux of 225 kW/m².