We have established distribution channels globally and work with partners in every continent. Our exclusive, direct partnerships with manufacturers allow us to procure standard and bespoke blankets designed to any requirements.
When an electric vehicle catches on fire, over 100 organic chemicals are generated, including toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. The lithium-ion batteries are difficult to extinguish and fire departments globally are unprepared for the associated risk. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket controls the fire, smoke, and toxic fumes, enabling you to isolate the flames in minutes.
Car Fire Isolator were delighted to be invited by EFI Global to take part in a live EV fire Burn, using our Car Fire Isolator Blanket at Miami-Dade Fire Headquarters. In attendance on the day were large insurance companies, various fire & police departments and leading industry figures.
The central risk with lithium-ion batteries is fire. The batteries are unlikely to catch fire – but they can, through faults inside the battery, or from external damage. And when they do catch fire, the consequences can be serious.
Once alight, lithium-ion battery fires are very hard to extinguish. Common fire suppressants don’t work and the fire can burn very fiercely. In some circumstances, the battery can explode. If you have a problem with one cell, it can start spreading.
This unstoppable fire is called “thermal runaway”. Water may assist with absorbing heat from some small fires, but it reacts dramatically with lithium – making it a bad decision to go directly on fires.
Lithium-ion fires also don’t burn cleanly, batteries can vent toxic gases into the surrounding area. It’s not always clear what these gases will be. For these reasons, some fire services have a code of not intervening in lithium-ion battery fires: they’re unlikely to suppress them because the risk to firefighters is too high.
Instead, they wait for the reaction to finish, and protect the surrounding environment.
Cover the Car Fire Isolator Blanket over the burning vehicle. This immediately isolates the flames and fumes. As a result, the fire will soon be controlled due to lack of oxygen. The lithium-ion batteries will continue to burn even without oxygen in electric vehicles.
It is advised to leave the fire blanket on when transporting electric vehicles on a recovery truck. We always encourage the use of proper protection gear (PPE) when working with our devices.
Place the fire blanket on the ground in front of- or behind the vehicle and roll it out.
Two people should each grab their handles and safely pull the fire blanket over the car in one continuous movement.
Make sure the fire blanket is tight all the way to the ground. Wait at least 20 minutes before you remove the fire blanket.
In any place where there is high concentration of cars, the Car Fire Isolator Blanket should be easily accessible. This can include multi storey car parks, shopping malls and office parking.
If a car has recently been involved in an accident it has a greater risk of self-igniting, especially with electric vehicles. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket should be on site and easily accessible.
If a car has been involved in an accident or fire it is imperative that the breakdown recovery trucks have a Car Fire Isolator Blanket on board and it is accessible.
Car ferries have a high concentration of vehicles, and the spread of fire poses significant risk to life. It is crucial that a car fire is isolated as quickly as possible. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket should be accessible on every car deck.
Airports contain a large concentration of cars and other vehicles that can present a variety fire risks. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket should be accessible in all car parks, terminal buildings, hangars and runways.
The obvious risk of car fire at a gas or charging station means a Car Fire Isolator Blanket should be easily accessible. When deployed at charging stations, it’s the only solution that can quickly and safely isolate the fire in lithium-powered vehicles. At a gas station, it can prevent the fire from spreading to the gasoline.
Tommy Carnebo, a firefighter based at Södertörns fire department, is specialised in fires involving electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. He uses his knowledge and experience to educate other firefighters and second responders on the topic throughout the Nordic Region.
A concern with lithium-ion batteries is the potential release of toxic gases as e.g. hydrogen fluoride (HF). Toxic gases such as HF can be of great danger to first and second responders.
As firefighters, we know that car manufacturers improve their batteries every year. It means, we constantly must revise our response strategy. It is very important that we have the right information about the toxicity level, so we can use the right equipment and protection. It is therefore highly important that we conduct the tests continuously, so we know the risks we are dealing with”.
“What is special about EVs, is that the risk isn’t over when the fire is put out. If an EV has been involved in an accident, the car can re-ignite again hours, days, even weeks after the accident. If there is energy left in the battery and it is damaged, it is of great risk. That’s why we say that both first responders, second responders and third responders should adequately be prepared to safely handle the EV after an accident.”
The responders can be e.g. the car mechanic, who receives the car after the accident or the professional clean-up team at the site of the fire. What most people do not know, is that a damaged battery will have to be in quarantine for 14 days, before it is safe to look at.”
The soot from a fire in an EV can contain large amounts of cobalt, nickel and manganese compounds. These heavy metals can cause severe allergic reactions on unprotected skin. So, clean-up after an electrical car fire should be done by professionals with adequate protective gear.
The traditional methods of extinguishing car fires by foam or water dispense toxic fumes into the air and hazardous substances onto groundwater. The temperature that a lithium-ion battery burns at makes these methods unsuitable to tackle an electric vehicle fire. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket immediately isolates the smoke without spreading toxic fumes and substances. The use of a high temperature resistant Car Fire Isolator Blanket (up to 1600 degrees C, tested according to ISO EN 13501-1) takes away the oxygen, slowly smothering the Fire. The blanket alone will not kill the fire in the battery. It provides control of the situation. The Car Fire Isolator Blanket is also re-useable.
Due to the high level of demand for the Car Fire Isolator Blanket we are looking for partners to distribute the product globally. If you feel your business is ideally situated to benefit from adding the Car Fire Isolator Blanket to your product range, then please complete the enquiry form below.
You can also purchase a sample pack for any examinations and testing you may wish to perform.
As well as our Car Fire Isolator Blanket we also supply the following products:
Details and specifications on the products are available upon request. We are constantly working with our manufacturers to enhance our product range.
Based in Manchester, England we have established distribution channels globally and work with partners in every continent. Our exclusive, direct partnerships with manufacturers allow us to procure standard and bespoke blankets designed to any requirements.
Car Fire Isolator is a trading style of Moneta Capital Ltd, Elmwood Court, Springwood Way, Tytherington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2XF. Company Registration Number: 07234818
