Earlier this month, a burning electric car sent 21 people – including 7 children – to hospital in South Korea. Now there is talk of an electric car phobia in the country.
After an electric car in a South Korean parking garage killed several other cars and sent 21 people to the hospital, a phobia of electric cars has arisen in the country.
This is written by Deutsche Welle, which quotes local media.
The fires have also led the South Korean authorities to demand more transparency from car manufacturers. Among other things, car brands must now be more open about which sub-suppliers they use.
Proposals have also been made that electric cars should be banned in car parks and basements. The accident, in which a Mercedes EQS caught fire, left another 140 cars damaged.
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In addition, 1,600 households were affected by water and electricity interruptions as a direct consequence of the fire. The managing director of Mercedes-Benz in South Korea is reluctant to comment on the accident and what caused it.
But the importer has already assured the South Koreans that they are cooperating with the authorities to map the cause of the fire. However, Mercedes in South Korea will not rule out stopping sales of the electric car due to the fire.
A fire which must have been further aggravated by the sprinkler system in the car park not working correctly.
A few days after the electric Mercedes burned out, an electric Kia went up in flames. This has led the authorities to ask electric car owners not to have more than 90 percent current in the battery if they drive down into a parking garage.
However, the council has also diverted some anger. Because the Mercedes that caught fire was neither fully charged nor set to charge when the accident happened.
In order not to lose sales completely, several car brands that have electric cars on the model range in South Korea have started offering heavy discounts and free battery inspections in an attempt to create security among customers.
Something else is that the public charging stations in South Korea cannot now charge electric cars up to more than 80 percent current. However, this is due to something other than fear of burning cars. Read more about it here .
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