Automotive News: EVs catch fire, sink another cargo ship

Cargo Ship Morning Midas en route to Mexico from China vanished In smoke with over 3,000 Cars And Chinese EVs Still Trapped Below Deck

The U.S. Coast Guard has provided additional details about the incident that occurred approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, on Wednesday. The exact number of vehicles aboard the 600-foot, Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, which is managed by a UK company, has been confirmed at 3,048 total vehicles. Of those, 70 are fully electric vehicles, and 681 are hybrid-electric vehicles.

EV sales might not have caught alight in the way automakers hoped, but news of another shipping fire reminds us that electric cars are very combustible. The cargo ship was on its way from Asia to North America when a fire broke out forcing the crew to abandon the vessel in the middle of the Pacific ocean, leaving thousands of brand new cars onboard.

UK-based shipowner Zodiac Maritime, which manages the vessel, has since confirmed that the fire originated in the section of the ship carrying electric vehicles.

“The crew immediately initiated emergency firefighting procedures using the vessel’s onboard fire-suppression systems,” said Zodiac Maritime, the car-carrier’s manager, per Lloyd’s List. “However, despite their efforts, the situation could not be brought under control.” When EVs catch on fire, they are very difficult to extinguish.

After contacting the US coast guard the 22-man crew decided to abandon ship, jumping into the lifeboat, after which they were picked up by a nearby merchant ship.

Some shipping companies, such as Norway’s Havila Kystruten, now refuse to carry electric vehicles, judging the risk factor too high. From Car Scoops