The fire in some electric cars in South Korea has curbed the sale of such cars, due to the fear of buyers. Manufacturers are responding by lowering prices and trying to ensure customer safety.
Korean officials met last week to discuss car safety and have called on manufacturers to increase transparency and name battery makers.
On August 1, a Mercedes-Benz electric car caught fire in a parking lot of a complex in the city of Incheon. It took firefighters more than eight hours to put it out. 23 people required medical treatment and more than 140 other vehicles were damaged. About 1600 homes were left without power for a week.
In another separate incident, a Kia EV6 caught fire in a parking lot and took more than 90 minutes to bring under control.
The cause of the fire in both cases is believed to have been batteries.
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According to the National Fire Agency in South Korea, there were 72 cases of fires related to electric cars in the country in 2023, compared to 24 in 2021. In 130 incidents over three years, 68 cars burned while in use. road, 36 parked and 26 while charging.
The main concerns have focused on batteries made in China. The burning Mercedes-Benz had batteries from an unknown Chinese company.
Automakers have immediately begun to meet demands for greater transparency in South Korea. The requirement to know every manufacturer of every part has not been specified in the Korean market, but in other countries.
Mercedes-Benz Korea was initially criticized for its response to the incidents, but has now started meeting residents and is considering financial aid for those affected by the fire. Mercedes-Benz initially announced that it will compensate them with three million euros, although this was not considered sufficient by the residents.
"Korea Times" has written that Audi has already reduced the prices of electric cars and BMW is doing the same.
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Despite the discounts, the newspaper wrote that the number of electric cars registered in Korea has fallen this year for seven months by 13.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
South Korea as a country subsidizes the purchase of electric cars. It is the third country with the highest level of subsidies for the transition to the "green" car market. The shift to the electric market has caused South Koreans to start selling more diesel cars. As a result, there have recently been reports of an increase in the market of cars imported from Korea in Kosovo.
