Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has filed a lawsuit against Porsche attributing a fire that sank the car carrier Felicity Ace to electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The Felicity Ace, en route from Germany to the U.S., caught fire near the Azores in 2022. MOL asserts that Porsche failed to inform the company of the risks associated with transporting EVs or provide necessary precautions. Meanwhile, Porsche disputes the fire’s location and cause.
MOL and insurer Allianz SE have also filed lawsuits against Volkswagen. The lawsuits claim that Volkswagen failed to adequately warn about the risks associated with transporting lithium-ion batteries, emphasizing concerns about the safety of electric vehicle components during transportation.
While fires from EVs are not more common or intense than those from combustion-engine vehicles, they require different safety precautions due to the risk of thermal runaway and reignition after extinguishment.
When thermal runaway occurs, the cell is undergoing an unstable chemical reaction that is difficult to bring under control. At some point, the separator structure collapses and the electrodes touch, causing an internal short circuit and masses of heat, bringing the cell to ever higher temperatures and generating toxic and flammable gases.
Cell heating will continue until the rise in temperature exceeds the heat that can be dissipated by the cell’s construction. This released heat will then increase and start to affect other nearby battery cells. When the generation of heat becomes self-sustaining—the heat releases energy, and the energy in turn releases more heat—the overheating propagates from cell to cell, and the battery is in thermal runaway.
