A scene from an electric vehicle fire response drill. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will launch a pilot project this week to automatically detect and report potential electric vehicle (EV) battery fires to emergency services, aiming to accelerate response times and minimize damage from fire incidents.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Sunday that the initiative, developed in collaboration with the National Fire Agency, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, Hyundai Motor, Kia, and BMW Korea, will begin on April 21.
The project is part of the government’s broader EV fire safety management strategy introduced after a high-profile EV fire in Incheon in August 2024.
The system will be installed in approximately 40,000 vehicles — including 10,000 each from Hyundai and Kia, and 20,000 from BMW and its MINI brand — and will monitor high-voltage battery status during driving, charging, or parking. If a potential fire risk is detected, the system will automatically alert the vehicle’s call center, which will in turn notify the relevant local fire station.
Key vehicle data, including location, model, and owner contact information, will be transmitted directly to 119 emergency responders, enabling rapid dispatch of firefighting crews. Vehicle owners will also receive immediate alerts via phone and text message.
Data collected during the pilot phase will be used to update the National Fire Agency’s field response manual for EV fires. The Ministry and Korea Transportation Safety Authority plan to leverage the findings to help shape international safety standards for electric vehicles.
“This program is a proactive step toward ensuring public safety as EV adoption accelerates,” the Ministry said in a statement.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
Please share details of EV battery fire early detection and emergency response team dispatch
I wonder what the system is? Is it BMS system? or it is something else they developed together?