Police officers stand near the wreckage of a car that caught fire and engulfed a nearby house in Indore, March 18, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
Story so far: On March 18, a fire tore through a house in Indore, killing eight people, including two children. An electric vehicle (EV) charging station in front of the home appears to have sparked the fire. An investigation is underway.
Are EV batteries safe?
Almost every electric car on the road today runs on lithium-ion batteries, which use the same chemistry that powers millions of smartphones and laptops. They hold more energy than lead-acid batteries and are generally safe if well managed.
A common cause of an EV battery fire is an event called thermal runaway. A lithium-ion battery packs thousands of cells tightly together, each of which generates heat as it charges and discharges.
Under normal circumstances, the temperature is kept within a safe range by an on-board computer called the battery management system. But if something goes wrong, one cell can overheat, causing neighboring cells to overheat in a chain reaction that can overtake the cooling system.
The process also releases a toxic cocktail of gases, including hydrogen fluoride, in a flammable vapor that facilitates the “pathway” to a fire.
What causes heat leakage?
Manufacturers protect batteries by encasing them in reinforced steel or aluminum shells. However, a hard impact – such as a heavy impact to the chassis – can deform the casing and puncture or deform the cells inside, resulting in a short circuit.
Charging the battery beyond its designed capacity can cause charging in the “wrong” places inside the cells. Reputable EV manufacturers include safeguards in their charging systems to prevent this, but third-party chargers or damaged chargers may not pay attention to these limits. And regularly changing the battery overnight with such a charger can increase the risk.
As the battery expands and contracts during use, a rare manufacturing defect, such as a small metal protrusion, can come into contact with the positive and negative electrodes, causing a huge current to flow between them. This releases heat which then spreads through the packaging. Extension cords or home wiring in old buildings can also overheat when they can’t handle the constant current.
Does external conditions matter?
In hot weather, like summer in India, the cooling system may struggle to dissipate heat. Parking an electric car in direct sunlight for a long time or charging it immediately after a long drive can increase heat stress.
As batteries age, their internal components also degrade. So users who ignore warning lights or skip inspections may miss early signs of swelling or chemical breakdown.
Batteries are also at risk from flooding. Contaminated water after heavy rains can enter the battery and cause a short circuit. A few days after the vehicles were submerged in the flood water, there were several electric vehicle fires.
EVs are not uniquely dangerous. Gasoline cars also catch fire, more often because they carry flammable fuel alongside a hot engine. The difference is that EV battery fires burn more, spread faster, and are harder to put out (because the battery releases oxygen when it burns). Firefighters often have to use large amounts of water or special fire blankets to extinguish the source and cool it down.
The Indore incident was made worse by the fact that LPG cylinders were stored in the building, a sports bike was parked inside and the electronic door locks jammed when the power went out.
What is the industry doing, the users?
Most electric cars today have channels along the cells filled with coolant that absorbs their heat and dissipates it into the air. Scientists are currently developing a new form of cooling where the coolant evaporates as it absorbs heat and releases it into the air, improving heat transfer and better managing temperature spikes.
Manufacturers are also exploring batteries that use a solid electrolyte rather than the current liquid, reducing the risk of thermal runaway while improving firewalls inside existing structures so that if a single cell fails, a fire won’t spread.
Users can also take precautions by using the charger supplied with the vehicle or a charger certified by the manufacturer, avoiding routine unattended charging, ensuring that home electrical systems meet the necessary standards for high-powered appliances, and having EV batteries inspected after any significant impact. Since heat is a common trigger, experts recommend letting batteries cool down before charging after a long drive, and also keeping the charging area clear.
Finally, the Bureau of Indian Standards issued updated safety standards for EV batteries in 2023 after a spate of fires the previous year prompted a government review. As part of its AIS-156 standard, the Automotive Research Association of India also requires tests to check how heat spreads in a battery and requires batteries to give vehicle users at least five minutes to escape from a fire.
Published – 19 March 2026 16:04 IST
