What is the statistical risk of an EV catching fire versus an ICE vehicle?

Question

Accepted Answer

Statistical Risk of EV Fires vs. ICE Vehicle Fires

Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles are statistically less likely to catch fire than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. In Sweden, between 2018 and 2022, EVs and hybrids accounted for an average of 16 fires annually out of approximately 3,400 total vehicle fires. This represents 1.9% of all vehicle fires, with the remaining 98.1% attributed to ICE cars.
Likelihood of Fire for EVs and Hybrids

Considering there are 611,000 EVs and hybrids in Sweden and an average of 16 fires per year, the statistical chance of an EV or hybrid catching fire is approximately 1 in 38,000. This low incidence rate suggests that concerns about EV susceptibility to fires are not supported by current data.
Likelihood of Fire for ICE Vehicles

Conversely, with roughly 4.4 million petrol and diesel cars in Sweden and an average of 3,384 fires annually, the probability of an ICE vehicle fire is about 1 in 1,300. This stark contrast indicates that ICE vehicles present a significantly higher risk of fire compared to their electric counterparts.
Comparative Fire Risk

The data from Sweden reveals that an ICE vehicle is approximately 29 times more likely to catch fire than an EV or hybrid. This disparity highlights that while any vehicle can experience a fire, the risk is substantially lower for electric and hybrid models based on available statistics.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

What is the statistical risk of an EV catching fire versus an ICE vehicle?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends