Why do charging stations need an electric vehicle fire blanket? There are now over 42,000 charging stations and charging points across the UK in more than 15,500 locations and that figure is only set to grow as the Government invest in growing this charging infrastructure to cope with increased demand for electric vehicles.

Charging stations are used all year round, day and night, by multiple electric vehicles at any time. Located in a variety of places including motorway services, supermarket and office car parks, charging stations are everywhere and, as the risk of fire is greater when an electric vehicle is being charged, any location that offers charging facilities should have electric vehicle fire blankets strategically placed.

Up to 10 hours on charge
Charging an electric vehicle can take anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes or 8-10 hours depending on the car’s specific battery size and how many miles travelled between charges. So, with the chance that an electric vehicle could be plugged into a charging point for anything up to 10 hours, the chances of a fire starting during this time must be seriously considered.

Collateral damage at a charging station
If an electric vehicle does catch fire at a charging station, the potential for collateral damage to the immediate surroundings is high. The majority of electric vehicle fires occur when the battery and any of its cells have been damaged or are faulty at manufacture. A damaged cell can heat up very quickly and start a fire. Once this happens, adjoining cells are also compromised and the fire spreads throughout the whole battery and causes thermal runaway.

Thermal runaway in electric vehicle fires
It’s almost impossible to stop thermal runaway and its volatility often results in fire spreading to any surrounding electric vehicles or property. What’s more, due to the chemical content of an EV battery, an electric vehicle fire will result in large amounts of poisonous fumes and smoke that can be very harmful, and even fatal to human and animal health. An electric vehicle fire at a charging station could be catastrophic.

If every electric vehicle charging point had an electric vehicle fire blanket, collateral damage in the event of an EV fire could be dramatically reduced. If a fire is suspected, the EV fire blanket can be deployed alongside contacting the fire brigade. Starving any fire of oxygen, the electric vehicle fire blanket will prevent the fire reaching any other vehicles as well as bringing down the bringing down the temperature.

A must-have piece of kit for charging stations
All UK charging stations should have at least one electric vehicle fire blanket to deal with a potential vehicle fire. They are a must-have piece of health & safety equipment that will provide both peace of mind and could even save lives in the event of an EV fire.