Electric cars have been cleared of blame for the inferno that took place at Luton Airport in October last year. Instead, an investigation by fire departments has raised new concerns regarding outdated building regulations and the fire risks caused by plastic fuel tanks.
The report, published by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Services (BFRS), reiterated how EVs were not responsible for the Terminal 2 car park blaze that involved as many as 1,200 vehicles. Investigators say the original source of the fire was a diesel-powered Range Rover Sport, which had suffered “an electrical fault or component failure”.
When investigating the fire’s environmental impact, the team at BFRS tested surrounding water samples and found little trace of lithium and cobalt – two vital ingredients in electric car batteries. This implies that EV batteries were not involved in the fire, but no investigation has been undertaken into the batteries of the burned-out remains of the few hybrid and battery-electric vehicles that were caught up in the blaze.
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