Are there risks of fires in charging stations?

Electric vehicles have become the main means of transportation today and in the future.

Electric vehicles have become the main means of transportation today and in the future. The core is the power battery, in which lithium ions with extremely strong metal activity are the main raw materials. This guy is very easy to catch fire. Moreover, once materials such as lithium batteries catch fire, the existing fire-fighting methods are almost ineffective. Even if firefighters come, they can only watch it burn out.

The world urgently needs to find a storage material to replace lithium ions. Unfortunately, no one can crack it in the short term, because it takes time to start from the theory of physics and chemistry and then to mass production.

The charging process of lithium-ion batteries is essentially an electrochemical reaction process, which is accompanied by a large amount of heat release. Especially in the pursuit of fast charging, supercharging has increased the charging current to 10C (charging intensity unit, the best is 1C) charging current intensity, which heats up rapidly. Charging speed and risk are a double-edged sword. Excessive pursuit of shortening charging time will increase the risk of fire.

Lithium batteries are subject to three main risks: heat during charging, heat during discharge, and fatal short circuit accidents.

So are there risks of fire in charging stations? Especially high-power DC charging stations.

The essence of charging stations is to provide sufficient charging power for cars. As for how to charge, how much, and how fast, it is controlled and managed by the BMS inside the electric car. The inside of the charging station is composed of control circuits and switches. The switches of the latest charging station products are also replaced by semiconductor IGBTs instead of the original relays. These materials are flame retardant materials, and even if they burst, they will not produce open flames.

The potential problem is the high-current wiring point, which may cause sparks or heat due to poor contact or loose contact, but only local high temperature will not extend to other parts. Excellent charging station solutions will set up internal chassis temperature detection, and power-off protection measures will be activated when high temperature is found.

Secondly, the inside of the charging station is in a confined space, and even if there is an open flame, the oxygen is very bad and will not expand into a fire.

In summary, you can use the charging station with confidence and don't have to worry about it.