Renault Found a Way to Stop Battery Thermal Runaway During EV Fires, It's Sharing It

All vehicles are prone to fires, if the conditions are right, but the time and effort it takes to put them out varies depending on a series of factors. One of them has to do with the vehicle's powertrain, and whether it's of the century+ old internal combustion type, or the much newer electric one.

When it comes to ICE vehicles, decades of practice mean firefighters, but also everyday drivers, know what to do to put fires out quickly and effectively. EVs, on the other hand, because of the batteries they are fitted with, are much trickier.

No matter the skills of the firemen on the scene, it generally takes several hours to completely put out a fire that has engulfed an electric car, and tons of water and other fire-retardant substances. But what if I told you there is at least one way to make EV fires a lot more manageable? A solution that is offered for free for the entire automotive industry, and might spread all over the world like… wildfire?

The solution is called Fireman Access, and it is a product of French carmaker Renault. It has been developed with help from various fire services, and promises to make putting out an EV fire as easy as putting out an ICE one.

The system relies on an adhesive disc that is placed in the casing of the vehicle's traction battery, over an opening. Its role is to seal the battery when it's working normally, but open it up when a fire engulfs it.

When firefighters start spraying water on the car, the powerful jet coming from the hose will push the disk away, allowing water to drench the battery and effectively stop thermal runaway. In this way, an EV fire can be extinguished in just a few minutes.

To develop the system Renault got no less than seven patents, but it will ignore its hold over them as it announced this week it will share all the patents with the automotive industry, at no cost for anyone who wants to use them.

The only catch of the deal is that Renault will require licensees to agree to make available for the entire automotive industry any upgrades they may bring upon the Fireman Access.

The tech is already deployed in every single electric and plug-in hybrid car which wears the badges of Renault, Dacia, Alpine, and Mobilize. It's unclear how many other car companies will adopt and adapt it for their own needs, but we do have to give it up to the French for their idea of sharing.