News / Hyundai deploys fire-fighting tech to combat risk from lithium batteries

Photo: Hyundai Glovis

Hyundai Glovis has designed a device for its car-carrier fleet to suppress fires that break out during the shipping of cars, particularly electric vehicles.

Should an EV burst into flames, once deployed the EV Drill Lance drills a hole from the bottom of the vehicle directly to the battery pack and sprays water to extinguish the flames.

Such fires have been in the headlines after several high-profile incidents, mainly involving EVs and their lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat.

Hyundai Glovis, Hyundai Motor’s logistics unit, claims EV Drill Lance takes two minutes to drill the hole into the battery pack, with flames put out in 30 minutes.

The device has proved so effective that Hyundai has donated 250 to South Korea’s National Fire Agency.

Hyundai Glovis said it had fine-tuned the EV Drill Lance design for ocean-going environments.

“The equipment handle was divided into several short parts so that the length could be adjusted according to the on-site situation. This allowed us to find a way to deploy the equipment even in narrow spaces between vehicles stowed tightly inside a ship,” the company said.

“In addition, LED lights were added to identify the equipment’s location, even in situations where visibility is limited due to fires. A mobile bag that crew members can wear was also custom-made for quick dispatch to the fire site.

“EV Drill Lance is expected to significantly shorten the fire-fighting time and prevent damage spreading to surrounding vehicles,” it explained.

Hyundai Glovis operates 90 car-carriers and will install EV Drill Lance to its 32 owned vessels and gradually expand the fixture to its chartered ships.

Early this year, Hyundai Glovis designed a fire control system that connects 1,000 detectors and alarms to a single system, enabling early identification of fires on board ships.