EV Owners Warned to Plan Ahead for Bushfire Season

As bushfire season approaches, electric vehicle (EV) owners are being warned to plan ahead to avoid being stranded. The warning comes after a series of incidents where EV owners found themselves in precarious situations while trying to evacuate from fires.

Nigel Raynard, owner of an EV chauffeur service in northern New South Wales, had a harrowing experience in January when he found himself in a town under bushfire evacuation orders with less than 15 per cent charge in his car battery. The Tesla's software was advising him to turn around, but he was determined to press on.

"The Tesla was telling me to turn around," he said. "I was bull-headed thinking, 'No, I'll be fine', but if the software tells you to go a different way, that's what you should do."

Mr. Raynard eventually found an EV charger in a nearby town, but it was under evacuation orders and police were reluctant to let him in. After tense negotiations, he was allowed to pass the blockade and use the fast charger, where he spent 15 minutes getting the power he needed.

The experience has left him worried that new EV owners might find themselves in a similar predicament. "Allow a little more battery than you need and have a back-up plan," Mr. Raynard said. "New owners need to be educated because unlike petrol/diesel, you aren't going to have a stop in every town."

Emma Sutcliffe, CEO of EV FireSafe, an Australian company that researches electric vehicle high-voltage battery fires and emergency response, said EVs are "no more dangerous or likely to catch fire than a petrol or diesel car".

"Any car in a bushfire is going to burn, depending on the severity of the bushfire," she said. "It is not more likely to burn just because it has a lithium-ion battery in it."

However, Ms. Sutcliffe warned that there is a post-incident fire risk with EVs. "Even if the car looks completely burnt out, that battery can catch fire days, weeks, even months later."

The NSW Rural Fire Service is urging people to plan ahead, regardless of the type of vehicle they are driving. "We know that around the Christmas period, many people are going to start to consider travelling and camping, so ask [yourself], 'What am I going to do if you go into a camp area? Is there enough power in the vehicle to get me somewhere safe or a location where I can power it?'" Superintendent Ben Shepherd said.

Despite the challenges, Ms. Sutcliffe said EVs can have advantages during bushfires. Some EV brands have features that could prove critical in a bushfire, such as air filtration systems and the ability to double as a power source.

"In 2019, people with respiratory trouble were using Teslas to sit in whilst the air was smoky," she said. "They have very good air filters, and the car can sit for a very long period just with the filters running and not use too much power in the process."

Mr. Raynard said he would always choose an EV over a combustible engine. "With an EV, you wake up each morning with it fully charged; no need to store dangerous flammable liquids or travel from home to fill up," he said.