Safety

Applications

Safety

Parking Garages

Parking Garages

Codes and standards in adjacent sectors, such as parking garages, are trailing in development, giving rise to safety concerns. Ongoing research is addressing new safety challenges. Despite similar fire sizes, EVs present additional fire suppression challenges compared to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles:

Battery re-ignition

Explosion potential of flammable vent gases

Toxicity potential from released gases

Access to the interior of the battery enclosure for fire suppression Current Research and Guidance on Mitigation Approaches

Existing structures

Owner of structure should conduct a fire risk assessment to evaluate if introduction of EVs creates additional hazards New structures

Adequate spacing

Adequate fire detection (gas, smoke, heat detection)

Suitable water suppression system and ventilation

Trained and experienced fire responders with appropriate equipment

Source: 1NFPA, 2Siemens, 3ARUP

Example of Proposed EV Parking design.3

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.