The Fire Protection Podcast Episode 37 : Vehicle System Fire Protection and the growth of Electric Vehicles

Inspect Point, podcast, Video

EPISODE SUMMARY

One of the hottest topics in fire protection these days is how to put out Lithium-Ion battery fires.  It seems that every week in the news, there is some sort of fire regarding these power sources.  Vistra Energy (California), one of the world’s largest lithium-ion batteries, has had two recent fires.  Luckily enough, the second was extinguished by a water suppression system.  Last week a vehicle cargo ship (Felicity Ace) in the Atlantic was still dealing with fires onboard stemming from electric vehicles in transport from Europe.

While there is no 100% solution to lithium-ion battery fires, we know one thing is sure.  Electric battery technology is here to stay.  Costs are getting cheaper, and the public is standing in year-long lines for EVs like Tesla, Ford F-150, and Rivian.
Amerex has long been in the vehicle suppression industry for on-road and off-road vehicles.  Public transportation, waste management, mining, and forestry are just a few industries they assist.  Basic economics and insurance drive many of the vehicle suppression systems.  Having a piece of mining or forestry equipment down does not make a business money.  Many AHJs and insurance companies require on-road suppression for commercial buses and trash trucks.
Bill Jolbert, Sales Director of Vehicle Systems, joined us on a recent podcast to review the industry of vehicle suppression and something very new and exciting, detection.  Amerex’s Kodiak series has been around for years, but their EV gas detection series is starting to get traction in the commercial bus industry.
You can watch the episode here and listen to it above.

EPISODE NOTES

TIMELINE:

0:06 – Intro
1:27 – Bill Introduces Himself
3:10 – Who Does Vehicle Suppression?
4:25 – What Vehicles are We Talking About?
5:18 – Key Off-Road Markets
6:18 – Key Over-The-Road Markets
7:09 – Regulations For These Markets
8:44 – Goal of Vehicle Suppression
10:55 – What These Fires Look Like
12:08 – How These Systems Work
16:30 – Wet, Dry, & Gaseous Systems
20:26 – The Kodiak Brand
22:42 – Dealing With Bus Fires
25:38 – Gas Detection on Trash Trucks
27:05 – Timeline of Electric Vehicle Growth
30:42 – Fire Suppression of Lithium-Ion Batteries
34:00 – Preventing Lithium-Ion Battery Runaways
35:10 – Early-Warnings in Private Electric Vehicles
38:57 – Looking Beyond Electric Vehicles
41:26 – Quick Response Round
45:53 – Closing Thoughts