EV Fire facts

One is to many, but let the facts speak for themselves.

Gas-and diesel-powered vehicles catch fire way more often than EVs, but you would not know that from the headlines.

The fire rate of electric vehicles is ‘61 times lower’ than that of gasoline vehicles. Only 25 out of 100,000 all-electric vehicles are likely to catch fire, compared to more than 1,500 gasoline vehicles and nearly 3,500 hybrid vehicles.

Out of 100,000, according to research from National Transportation Safety Board recent data show gasoline vehicles are up to 100x more prone to fires than EVs with an average of 16 EV and hybrid fires per year, there is a 1 in 38,000 chance of fire.

Of further note: According to 2023 statistics provided by J.D. Power, vehicles with internal combustion engines (gasoline-powered), make up more than 99% of all cars in the U.S. and about 99% of new car sales, according to J.D. Power. And approximately 60% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, while 17% is produced form wind or solar power.

An Aside, Electric vehicles typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging. Electric vehicles (EVs) have no tailpipe emissions, but, the manufacturing processes, including the batteries (lithium-ion batteries), do in fact add to greenhouse problems.