Burning Battery Ejectors: The Latest Chinese EV Safety Innovation

A red electric vehicle on display at a demonstration event in China, showcasing new battery ejection technology for safety during fires.
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From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

What could possibly go wrong?

The new, unusual solution to EV fires: High-speed battery ejection

New technology has been demonstrated in China that sees an electric vehicle’s battery rapidly ejected to keep occupants safe from an imminent fire.

At an event earlier this month, new technology was demonstrated on Chery’s iCar 03 that can see a vehicle’s high-voltage battery ejected 3-6 metres away within a second of thermal runaway being detected.

It’s ejected from the vehicle using a gas generator, much in the same way as an airbag works, with the idea to get the battery away from vehicle occupants before it catches fire.

In the demonstration video, shared across Chinese media including cnBeta, the battery is ejected with a bang into a nearby pit and then quickly shrouded.

However, there are naturally concerns over the high-speed ejection of a battery weighing potentially several hundred kilograms.

…Read more: 

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/the-new-unusual-solution-to-ev-fires-high-speed-battery-ejection

A demonstration of an electric vehicle with a battery ejection system, showcasing the battery being rapidly ejected from the vehicle as smoke rises, with banners in the background promoting battery launch technology.

My first thought was, surely this is a joke. But if it is a joke, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make it look real.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DrfXM6cV2

Demonstration of a new electric vehicle battery ejection system developed by the China Automotive Technology & Research Center, featuring a vehicle and ejected battery setup.

MGUY has responded in his usual measured way to this latest EV safety innovation.

A burning EV battery is essentially a thermite bomb. Adding a gas catapult to the thermite bomb turns the vehicle battery into a short-range thermite bomb launcher.

Would this EV innovation be legal in countries which restrict gun ownership? Imagine if Europe’s violent street gangs got their hands on such weapons.

To be fair the explosive battery ejector system likely does improve safety for the vehicle occupants. Probably not so much for any unlucky pedestrians walking past when the ejection system is triggered.

I’m kind of lost for words on this latest EV innovation. I mean I once thought of publishing this idea on WUWT as an April fool’s joke, but I decided not to, because I thought the idea was too stupid to trick anyone.


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