SIRIM Introduces EV Fire Blanket Certification And Testing Program

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular in Malaysia, the importance of protecting owners from fire hazards grows. Hence the existence of EV fire blankets. They are poised to become an essential component for all EV owners. 
Earlier today, SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of SIRIM Berhad, launched the Electric Vehicle Fire Blanket (VFB) certification and testing program. Present at the launch ceremony for which was Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

Apart from the certification for the Electric Vehicle Fire Blanket, SIRIM also launched a certification program For EV Charging Points. The growing use of Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS) has raised concerns about their safety and validity.

For this reason, policies must be in place to ensure that Malaysian drivers receive the highest level of safety and effectiveness from EVCS, it stated.
According to Tengku Zafrul, this certification and testing service demonstrates MITI and its agencies' commitment towards the safety of EV users.

With increased volume of EVs on the road come increased risks of EV fires, and we’ve already reported on several of which - like this recond (grey/parallel imported) Tesla Model Y incident, or the more recent one involving a Mercedes-Benz EQB  at a JB dealership. 

This proves that even though EV fires are thought to be an uncommon occurrence, extra precautions must be taken by EV users to prevent such a catastrophic incident.

And whilst EV adoption is still relatively new in our nation, the government must take strong and comprehensive action to stop undesirable incidents from occurring as they may cause Malaysians to lose interest in using electric vehicles. Sadly, despite this latest initiative by SIRIM, we did notice a huge flaw.

Based on the photos shared by Tengku Zafrul via X (formerly Twitter), the vehicle which SIRIM tested the VFB on is clearly a combustion (ICE) type - not an EV.

EV fires, as we know, have slightly different characteristics than ICE fires, including a higher burning temperature, chemical fumes compensation, and thermal runaway.

Based on which, we won’t blame anyone for casting doubts over SIRIM's VFB test procedures. Let’s hope that said photos were merely from a mock-up demonstration, and that actual tests for which use real EVs instead.