EV-caused fire in Incheon raises concerns 전기차 화재로 리튬이온 배터리 우려 제기

[김우정]

지난 화요일 인천에서 일어난 전기차 화재로 차량140대가 파손되고 23명이 입원했습니다.
전기차의 화재는 진압시간이 길고 주위에 있는 차량에도 피해가 큽니다.
전기차에 장착된 리튬이온 배터리 때문입니다.
이번 사고로 전기차시장의 매출감소가 예상됩니다.
 
EV-caused fire in Incheon raises concerns about lithium-ion batteries
인천에서 발생한 전기차 화재로 리튬이온 배터리 우려 제기


By Jung Min-ho 정민호 기자
Posted : 2024-08-02 15:59 Updated : 2024-08-03 18:27
Korea Times

A firefighter checks the cars destroyed by a fire after an electric vehicle exploded inside an underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon, Friday. Yonhap 인천의 한 아파트 지하주차장에서 전기차가 폭발해 소방관이 화재로 소실된 차량을 확인하고 있다. 연합

Car in question was not being charged at time of explosion, firefighters say
소방대원, 폭발 당시 문제의 자동차가 충전중이 아니었다고 언급

A blaze caused by an electric vehicle battery that left some 140 cars damaged and 23 people hospitalized in Incheon on Thursday has raised safety concerns about lithium-ion batteries.
화요일 인천에서 발생한 전기차 배터리 화재로 차량 140여 대가 파손되고 23명이 병원에 입원하는 등 리튬이온 배터리에 대한 안전성 우려가 커지고 있다.

According to the Incheon Fire Department, Friday, it took more than eight hours to put out the fire that started following an explosion of what appeared to be a Mercedes-Benz EQE model inside an underground parking lot of an apartment complex in the city’s Cheongna International City.
인천소방본부에 따르면 인천 청라국제도시 내 한 아파트 지하주차장에서 벤츠 EQE 모델로 보이는 차량이 폭발하면서 시작된 화재를 진압하는데 8시간 이상 걸렸다.

As a result, 140 vehicles were destroyed or blackened and at least 23 people received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation. With a prolonged power outage caused by the fire, at least 121 people from 46 households were staying in temporary shelters set up at welfare centers near the apartment complex as of Friday morning.
이로 인해 차량 140여 대가 소실되거나 검게 그을렸고 최소 23명이 연기를 마셔 병원 치료를 받았다. 화재로 정전이 장기화되면서 금요일 오전 현재 아파트 단지 인근 복지관에 마련된 임시대피소에는 46가구 121명이 머물고 있다.

Surveillance footage showed smoke coming out of the vehicle before it suddenly burst into flames. The car was not being charged at the time of the explosion, according to firefighters.
감시 영상에는 차량에서 연기가 뿜어져 나오다가 갑자기 불길에 휩싸이는 장면이 담겼다. 소방관들에 따르면 폭발 당시 차량은 충전 중이 아니었다.

After receiving emergency calls, the fire department mobilized more than 170 firefighters as well as fire trucks and other equipment to extinguish the ensuing blaze. Their effort was hampered by narrow pathways to the fire source below ground. In the meantime, hundreds of residents evacuated from adjacent buildings.
긴급 신고를 받은 소방당국은 소방차와 다른 장비 뿐만 아니라 170명 이상의 소방관들을 동원하여 뒤따른 화재를 진압했다. 그들의 노력은 지하에 있는 화재원으로 가는 좁은 통로에 의해 방해를 받았다. 그 동안, 수백 명의 주민들이 인접한 건물 들로부터 대피했다.

In cooperation with the police, firefighters are looking into the exact cause of the explosion.
소방대원들은 경찰과 공조해 정확한 폭발 원인을 조사하고 있다.

The fire case is the latest one believed to have been caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are used in many commercial products including electric cars, electric bikes, energy storage systems and toys among many others.
이번 화재는 전기차, 전기자전거, 에너지저장장치, 장난감 등 상용 제품에 많이 사용되는 리튬이온 배터리가 원인으로 추정되는 가장 최근의 화재다.

Lithium-ion batteries are known to be highly sensitive to high temperatures and are inherently flammable. Given that they have a high energy density, these fires can spread quickly and are difficult to extinguish.
리튬이온전지는 고온에 매우 민감하고 본질적으로 가연성이 강한 것으로 알려져 있다. 이러한 화재는 에너지 밀도가 높기 때문에 빠르게 확산될 수 있고 진화가 어렵다.

According to research on fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, most such fires occur when the battery is being charged. But that’s obviously not the reason for the Incheon case. It can also be caused by product defects or other factors.
리튬이온 배터리로 인한 화재에 대한 연구에 따르면 대부분의 화재는 배터리가 충전될 때 발생한다. 그러나 인천의 경우에는 분명히 그것이 원인이 아니다. 그것은 또한 제품 결함 또는 다른 요인에 의해 발생할 수 있다.

Mercedes-Benz Korea expressed “deep regret” over the parking lot fire and vowed to fully cooperate with investigators in a statement sent to Yonhap, a Korean news agency.
메르세데스-벤츠 코리아는 주차장 화재에 대해 "깊은 유감"을 표명하고 조사관들과 전적으로 협력할 것이라고 연합통신에 보낸 성명에서 다짐했다.

However, the company refused to comment when asked to identify the model that is being investigated and which battery had been installed in that car.
그러나 회사 측은 조사 중인 모델과 해당 차에 어떤 배터리가 장착됐는지 확인해 달라는 요청에 언급을 거부했다.

“As the investigation is still ongoing, we ask for your understanding that we cannot provide further details at this time,” the company said.
회사 측은 "아직 수사가 진행 중인 만큼 현재로서는 더 자세한 내용을 알려드릴 수 없는 점 양해 부탁드린다,"고 밝혔다.

According to data from the National Fire Agency, the number of fires caused by electric vehicles has been on the rise in recent years, from just three in 2018 to 72 in 2023.
소방청 자료에 따르면 전기차로 인한 화재는 2018년 3건에 불과했던 것이 2023년 72건으로 최근 몇 년간 증가 추세다.

As electric cars continue to grow in number around the country, so too do concerns over the safety of their batteries.
전기차의 수가 전국적으로 계속 증가함에 따라 배터리의 안전에 대한 우려도 커지고 있다.

To prevent similar accidents, a group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Song Eon-seog of the ruling People Power Party, proposed a bill on Friday to install more firefighting resources near EV charging systems in parking lots.
비슷한 사고를 막기 위해 송언석 국민의힘 의원을 중심으로 한 국회의원 모임은 주차장의 전기차 충전 시스템 근처에 소방 자원을 더 설치하는 법안을 금요일 발의했다.

#electricvehicle전기차 #lithium-ionbatteries리튬이온배터리 #fire화재 #explosion폭발 #safetyconcerns안전성우려 #Mercedes-BenzEQE메르세데스-벤츠EQE #undergroundparkinglot지하주차장 #smokeinhalation연기마신 #irefighter소방관 #investigation조사