An electric car almost caught fire on Parallelweg in Broek in Waterland this afternoon, the ANWB concluded. A so-called immersion container from the fire brigade had to be used to cool down the car.
Extinguishing an electric vehicle is difficult, which is why the fire brigade uses a large immersion container. But how does that work?
“An immersion container is a separate container that can be called up via a salvage company (via the control room) if there is a vehicle fire in an electrically powered car,” explains Demi Bouwmeester of the Zaanstreek-Waterland Security Region.
Bath for several days
But why does the car have to be in the water? That’s because the battery keeps catching fire when you stop putting out the fire. It continues to heat itself up and to stop that process the battery has to be left in an immersion tank for quite some time, sometimes several days.
In Amsterdam, the fire brigade threw an electric scooter into the canal in April. This may have been a strange sensation for bystanders, but according to the fire service, this is the most effective solution for a burning electric vehicle.
“The car in Broek in Waterland was taken by the salvage company and taken to a safe location in an empty immersion container,” says Demi. “It is then checked whether it is necessary to fill the immersion container with water. If this appears to be necessary, the car must remain in the immersion container with water for 24 hours to three days. Until the battery has cooled down sufficiently and the car can be removed. .