Electric car fire: Week-old million baht vehicle ignites in Udon Thani mall
A week-old electric car costing over a million baht, suddenly caught fire while being charged in front of a shopping mall in Udon Thani, northeast Thailand. The owner, a 41 year old man named Vin (pseudonym), was taken aback when 50% charged, the vehicle began to emit smoke from under the hood. Chinese engineers are currently investigating the electric car fire incident, which occurred at 2pm yesterday.
The scene of the electric car fire was a chaotic one, with smoke billowing from the hood of the grey BYD electric car, which was parked with a red registration plate. Firefighters and rescue workers from the Udon Thani Municipality and Udon Sawang Methatham Foundation were quick to respond, managing to extinguish the fire with foam before disconnecting the car’s battery and dousing it with water for a second time.
Vin described the electric car fire situation, explaining how he had driven the car to the mall for a family shopping trip. Upon arrival, he parked at the charging point since the car’s battery was at 10%. While his family went shopping, Vin stayed in the car. When the battery reached 50% charge, he noticed smoke pouring from under the hood and quickly alerted mall security, who brought a fire extinguisher before he called the fire department.
The electric car, which Vin had only bought a week earlier for over 1 million baht, had been used routinely, being charged both at home and at various charging points. Vin expressed his shock at the unexpected electric car fire, as he had never anticipated such a situation, reported KhaoSod.
Police speculate that the electric car fire may have resulted from an electrical short circuit, but they plan to question Vin and inspect the vehicle at the dealer centre for a more detailed investigation into the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, BYD reported that they have dispatched Chinese engineers to investigate the incident, and they will need to scrutinize the details of the charge on the said vehicle.
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