Heat Check

Hyundai unveils a new thermal runaway solution for EVs

Technology to prevent thermal runaway--a fancy term for "catching fire" used in the EV industry--is being advanced, from automakers to plant management.

Example: Hyundai announced April 14 that it had succeeded in developing a new technology that can extinguish a fire immediately by spraying a fire extinguishing agent when a battery cell catches fire. According to the company, it's "the first technology that can prevent thermal runaway by preventing heat from being transferred to adjacent cells."

A number of major countries have mandated that thermal runaway be delayed for at least five minutes after the initial ignition of the battery cell, while others are tightening their regulations to prevent thermal transfer from occurring in the first place.

The solution developed by Hyundai Mobis reportedly consists of a battery management system (BMS), hardware including a fire extinguishing device and battery case, and "software logic that controls them," per a Hyundai press release.

Based on the real-time data collected by the sensors, it analyzes the temperature and voltage of the battery and the pressure inside the battery system to determine any abnormalities. It then sets the location where the extinguishing agent will be sprayed and commands the fire extinguishing device to operate.