Prioritising Safety: EV Fire Blanket, Bomba First Before EV Charging Stations!

In recent times, the Malaysian government and the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) have mandated that EV charging stations must be equipped with EV Fire Blankets (EVFB). This initiative has gained significant traction, with SIRIM even stepping in to capitalize in this to certify all EVFBs.

However, CariCarz.com believes that at this stage, equipping all EV charging stations with EVFBs is not the most necessary course of action. Instead, the focus should perhaps be on equipping emergency service and first responder vehicles, such as fire engines, with these blankets first.

This suggestion comes after considering the heavy cost implications for all parties involved, including Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and Bomba. While EV charging stations do need EVFBs, the primary beneficiaries of these blankets should be the emergency services.

As an EV driver, have you ever read up on how to deploy an EVFB? Do you know how heavy an EVFB is? Personally, we don't, and we bet that 99% of EV users are in the same boat as us. Even if you know how to use an EVFB, would you muster the courage to yank it out of its housing and attempt to cover a burning EV emitting toxic fumes and flames? Most likely not.

There's also the issue of vandalism and theft. One reason EVFBs have been slow to roll out to all charging stations is the heavy cost implications. An average EVFB costs about RM5,000 for a single-use type. If kept in a public space with easy access, these high-value items may be prone to theft, rendering them unavailable when needed.

Moreover, not all EV fires occur during charging similar to the Mercedes-Benz EQB incident earlier this year at the Johor dealership. For instance, the recent Mercedes-Benz EQE fire in Korea happened when the car was simply parked in an underground carpark, damaging 70 other vehicles.

Now should every building and parking floor be equipped with EVFBs? In future probably yes, but not just yet as this will come with a question of who is to bear the cost and more. However, by equipping emergency responders with EVFBs, we ensure they are prepared to tackle fires immediately upon arrival, rather than fumbling around looking for where the EVFB is located.

CariCarz.com feels there is merit in Malaysia Zero Emission Vehicle Association (MyZEVA) calling for CPOs, car brands and the government to collectively play an equal role in outfitting emergency responder vehicles with EVFBs. This for us should come first before considering their widespread deployment at charging points and beyond.

This is just food for thought. Do you think this approach is the way forward? Let us know in the comments on our social media!