[TusharK]

A Volvo C40 Recharge recently caught fire while driving on a highway in Chhattisgarh. The incident was captured on camera by the owner, who escaped without injury.



The video shows the C40 Recharge electric SUV parked on the hard shoulder and engulfed in flames. The fire seems to be more intense on the driver’s side.

It is said that an investigation is underway, but the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Volvo has not released an official statement regarding the incident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_G9cY5fNjk

The Volvo C40 Recharge was launched in September last year at Rs 61.25 lakh (ex-showroom). It is powered by dual electric motors generating 402 BHP and 660 Nm. It uses a 78 kWh battery that offers a maximum range of 530 km on a single charge (WLTP cycle).

Source: Rushlane

Link to Team-BHP news

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by TusharK

A Volvo C40 Recharge recently caught fire while driving on a highway in Chhattisgarh. The incident was captured on camera by the owner, who escaped without injury.

Thank you for sharing. Certainly, a cause for concern for those who have purchased Volvo EVs. I've requested Volvo for inputs. Let's see how much they co-operate.

[newenergy]

Volvo uses NMC battery packs from LG Chem or CATL. I think for Indian weather conditions, LFP chemistry makes more sense even though it is less dense. Let's not jump to any conclusions and see what Volvo has to say about the source of the fire.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by newenergy

Volvo uses NMC battery packs from LG Chem or CATL. I think for Indian weather conditions, LFP chemistry makes more sense even though it is less dense. Let's not jump to any conclusions and see what Volvo has to say about the source of the fire.

All premium EVs including the Teslas running in 45+ degree heat of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico run on NMC batteries. Let’s not generalise this into an NMC-LFP thing, and wait for a proper investigation to unearth exactly what happened here. C40 is a global product, and is just being assembled in India. I am sure a manufacturer like Volvo, whose entire calling card is safety, will be taking this very seriously.

[newenergy]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

All premium EVs including the Teslas running in 45+ degree heat of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico run on NMC batteries. Let’s not generalise this into an NMC-LFP thing, and wait for a proper investigation to unearth exactly what happened here. C40 is a global product, and is just being assembled in India. I am sure a manufacturer like Volvo, whose entire calling card is safety, will be taking this very seriously.

Yes, I never wanted to generalize this into battery chemistry but just wanted to share the fact that Volvo uses NMC packs from LG Chem or CATL. Between them, I would trust CATL more as they have more experience in EV batteries.

Having said that the reason I mentioned NMC vs LFP is because the thermal runaway of NMC is lower than LFP and in case of any fire the NMC pack will burst into flames much quicker. Then again there are other factors we should think about i.e. cooling, electronics, etc.

But as rightly mentioned we should wait for a statement from Volvo.

[ottocycle]

This is concerning. We need a thread that lists battery chemistry being used in all cars along with their variants in India.

[shankar.balan]

Some of us here including myself, have been keenly considering and evaluating ‘upper-class, range-capable’ EV’s such as this one.
Such an incident does most definitely cause concern and worry.
Perhaps a little more so because Volvo has always stood for safety and touted this aspect in all communications.
Maybe it is worth back pedalling and slowing down a little on this rush towards EV adoption.

[GTO]

Manufacturers are quick to blame "aftermarket electrical accessories" for most fires. However, I think that is highly unlikely here because:

- EVs come with practically every electronic gizmo you want.

- No one is going to mess with the electrical wiring in a premium EV, outside the dealership. In fact, even in premium ICE cars, electrical modifications are very rare.

- This car is just between 2 to 3 months old (deliveries started in October).

Volvo MUST do a proper investigation & provide us answers.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Some of us here including myself, have been keenly considering and evaluating ‘upper-class, range-capable’ EV’s such as this one.
Such an incident does most definitely cause concern and worry.
Perhaps a little more so because Volvo has always stood for safety and touted this aspect in all communications.
Maybe it is worth back pedalling and slowing down a little on this rush towards EV adoption.

May be you already know this but when it comes to fires EVs are much less prone to fires than ICEs. Hybrids (unsurprisingly) are the worse than even ICEs.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by electric_eel

May be you already know this but when it comes to fires EVs are much less prone to fires than ICEs. Hybrids (unsurprisingly) are the worse than even ICEs.

Long decades of being tried and tested gives a certain comfort along with the sheer numbers of ICE vehicles vis a vis EV’s.
There will always be aberrations.
Question is whether and when, one wishes to make that leap into the new world.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by electric_eel

May be you already know this but when it comes to fires EVs are much less prone to fires than ICEs. Hybrids (unsurprisingly) are the worse than even ICEs.

The reason for ICE's to catch fire is also "most" of the time electrical, either some short circuit or overloaded fuse gone bust, whatever may be the reason. I haven't seen an ICE car under fire due to the engine it carry or the fuel type.

People like me, do have geniune apprehensions regarding EV's.

By the way for those who are already Driving EV's, How the car insurance works for EV's in case of such scenarios of battery thermal runaway or failure or fire ?

[Quicksilver85]

Such news are what is NOT confidence inspiring to aspiring customers. Lets face it, EV as a technology is still in its nascent stage. The ICE on the other hand has decades and decades of OEM experience and they have perfected the art of producing reliable models. Even then we see issues related to transmission (DQ200), accelerator/brakes (Toyota in US), even fires sometimes in the ICE models too.

Till the time, the aam junta is not convinced on the perceived safety and benefits of the EV, not forgetting the price of course, most carbuyers will be fence-sitters when it comes to buying EVs.

Maybe in the future, the batteries are not so heavy/large/combustible. Remember the days of early mobile phone or computer how large the sizes were and how less capable they were compared to today's versions. Similarly, battery technology will evolve into a better product and those who buy today's EV might end up keeping them coz the resale value for EVs is lower than similar ICE models (Nexon EV vs ICE Nexon). The new buyer might not want to invest on replacing the batteries from his pocket.

Lastly, we certainly know EV is the future of mobility. LETS ENJOY THE LAST ICE AGE with whatever ICE vehicles we own now. Maybe ICE vehicles might go into extinction like dinosaurs and we might have to pay to view/drive them like Jurassic park

[Bibendum90949]

Just a question out of academic interest. Is there any mention under "Caution/Warning" in EV manuals that suggest the owners NOT to drive the car at very high speed/it's top speed for longer durations.

Volvo C40 is a very powerful car with a long range and this one has caught fire in the midst of a highway run, and the road appears to be a pretty decent one for a C40 to do consistently higher speeds.

I'm not speculating but just want to know if there's any mention of cautious steps to follow during high speed runs, in the car's manual. EV owners may be able to chip in.

Cheers,
bibendum.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Just a question out of academic interest. Is there any mention under "Caution/Warning" in EV manuals that suggest the owners NOT to drive the car at very high speed/it's top speed for longer durations.

Volvo C40 is a very powerful car with a long range and this one has caught fire in the midst of a highway run, and the road appears to be a pretty decent one for a C40 to do consistently higher speeds.

I'm not speculating but just want to know if there's any mention of cautious steps to follow during high speed runs, in the car's manual. EV owners may be able to chip in.

Cheers,
bibendum.

Not sure about C40, I do not think there is any such warning in the Nexon EV manual (it has a speed cap of 140 kmph if I recall correctly which I do no plan to test ever). At the risk of stating the obvious the reason for this speed cap is definitely not fire safety.

All volvo cars have a speed limit of 180 kmph
https://www.media.volvocars.com/glob...t-and-care-key

In any case driving at 180 kmph or even 140 on Indian highways is insanely dangerous and illegal so this point is moot. Forget fire safety, if one regularly drives at these speeds, especially in India, there are much more serious risks one needs to worry about.

[Redex]

Yet another EV fire !!! I don't own a BEV and never will. What frightens me is the severity, intensity and speed of the fires. Diesel and petrol cars never burst into flames as rapidly as a BEV when being driven or just parked up.
It also worries me how easy it would be to get stuck inside with complete electronic failure. Petrol and diesel ICE cars give the occupant longer to get out in the event of a fire. Usually allowing sufficient time to smash a side window if the electronics don't work.
I will never travel in a BEV.
Right from the outset we have been misled by manufacturers. Battery life, range, charging times, service costs, reliability, tyre wear, service frequency etc etc. I don't trust BEVs, and I certainly wouldn't buy a BEV made in China, or a vehicle with a battery made in China.
Phones, toys, household items, 2 wheelers, cars, trucks, buses and boats with battery power have all caught fire. Even a battery prototype electric aircraft and train have caught fire.
The battery pack stores an enormous amount of energy that can all be released in a matter of seconds during a run away event and you can do nothing to stop it or put it out !!!
I think BEVs have been rushed onto the market without adequate time or effort being spent on safety of the battery pack.
Surely the battery and vehicle manufacturers must make the batteries safer and include measures to prevent or control a serious failure like a run away

Where was the Volvo C40 made ?