Experts say EV battery explosions remain rare as authorities extinguish two fires in one week

There have been two separate fires this week in New South Wales related to lithium batteries from electric vehicles, but experts insist the technology is safe if handled properly. Fire and Rescue NSW responded to 114 lithium-ion battery fires in the first seven months of the year – about a 20 per cent increase on the same period last year. EV lithium-ion battery explodes into flames at Sydney Airport Photo shows Burnt-out cars Firefighters confirm sparks spread from a detached lithium-ion battery from a luxury car to four nearby cars parked at Sydney Airport last night. "The challenge is when these electric vehicles do light on fire, they can create quite an unsafe area because these battery fires can even create an explosion risk and they can emit very toxic gases and chemicals," Dr Priestley said. Dr Priestley said once a battery exceeded a certain temperature, it created a self-sustaining fire "like a snowball running down a hill that just continues to pick up more and more snow".