Electric jitters

CONCERNS HAVE heightened locally around the safety of electric vehicles after a plug-in hybrid MINI Countryman burst into flames while being charged at a residence in Hope Pastures, St Andrew, on Friday.

With growing demand and push to accept hybrid and electric vehicles, and more charging stations being set up across the country for the anticipated increase in the number of these vehicles on the nation’s roadways, the incident has caught the attention of Jamaicans islandwide.

It is the first known fire-related incident relating to an electric vehicle locally.

Internationally, there have been several cases of electric vehicle fires starting when cars are parked or charging.

Christina Taylor, group marketing manager of the ATL Automotive Group, confirmed with The Gleaner that the burnt MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid car was last serviced by the ATL dealership in November 2022.

She also confirmed that contrary to speculation on social media, there was no recall of the model in question.

“The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has not yet confirmed the cause of the fire, but we can confirm that there has been no recall or technical campaign on the MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid in question,” said Taylor. “Unfortunately, we cannot make any further comments until we get the results of the JFB report.”

The JFB has not yet made a determination about the cause of the fire, noting that it could take months before it concludes investigations.

According to the JFB, the incident is being classified as a house fire, unless the investigation proves otherwise.

“I’m not sure how this situation was any different. I think people are just jumping to a lot of conclusions here. The investigation is still out pending [for] this particular situation,” Emeleo Ebanks, the JFB’s public relations officer, told The Gleaner.

The investigation will determine whether the source of the fire was the electric hybrid car, its charging port, or another source.

Among the concerns is whether houses islandwide meet the standard requirements to charge electric vehicles, including the sort of assessment and permits that dictate the installation of charging ports.

In the meantime, Jamaicans reacted with surprise and some expressed sympathy with the owner, whose home was partially damaged.

When The Gleaner visited the location on Sunday, the fully burnt shell of the car, the shattered glass window panes and parched paint on the walls bore testament to the devastation.

The owner admitted doing her best to recover from the shock.

During a brief interview, she said: “I have to secure my family and manage the situation. I don’t even know what to say to you ... . I’m just trying to sort myself out generally ... . I have a lot of things that I need to do.”

A tweet about the incident by Chanel DaCosta stated: “If you ever thought about buying an electric car... Car fully caught on fire and exploded in the driveway shortly after the driver parked the car and plugged it in to charge. Luckily, no lives were harmed. Just some of the house has been burnt and the car is completely gone.”

The reactions came fast.

“Unfortunate event, and it’s good to hear nobody got injured, but car fires are way more prevalent with internal combustion engine vehicles,” said @teslafans_876.

“Jamaica nuh ready fi them plug-in cars deh,” @jayskullaz chimed in.

“How insurance feel abt this?” @taurusshippy pondered, while @frasshytes_musiq advised: “Stick to gasolene vehicles.”

Meanwhile, in an effort to prepare firefighters to deal with crashes that involve electric vehicles, the ATL Automotive Group began offering training locally in March 2022.

Ebanks welcomed the initiative, saying: “You have to be aware of how these cars are built to know where the high-tension wires are, so you know not to cut those particular areas, that kind of thing. If it’s a regular gas-lined vehicle, you can cut just about anywhere, as long as you take into consideration the stability of the vehicle. That is not so when it comes to hybrid and electric vehicles,” he said.

Taylor said training will continue with the firefighters to help save the lives of persons from fires that may arise from accidents that involve electric cars.

“Following on request of the Jamaica Fire Brigade training by the ATL Automotive Group, we’ve hosted two sets of training sessions, one last year in March 2022 with a theory practice, reading and videos, as we didn’t have any units on the ground; and another earlier this year in March 2023 with the Kia Niro hybrid and the all-electric Audi e-tron,” Taylor stated.

She noted that in March 2023, training sessions were held at the Falmouth Fire Station and ATL Automotive’s head office on Oxford Road in New Kingston.

“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that took place on the night of Friday, June 23 regarding a customer and their MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid unit. Our primary concern remains the safety and well-being of our valued customer and we are happy to report that they are unharmed,” Taylor added.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com