Electric vehicles are as safe as, or perhaps safer than, gas-powered vehicles. Despite concerted efforts by some to exaggerate the fire risks associated with electric vehicles, EVs have a lower incidence of fire than gas-powered vehicles. MotorTrend Magazine said it well:
“There’s a car fire roughly every five minutes in America. The vast majority of them never make the news. But if a Tesla or a Chevy Bolt catches fire? It’s probably on the front page nationwide and going viral online. If the sensational headlines and social media videos are to be believed, EVs are flaming deathtraps that could spontaneously combust at any minute… EVs are new and different, and their fires pose some different challenges for first responders, so some coverage makes sense; we ourselves cover unusual or noteworthy instances. But if electric vehicles are no more likely to catch fire than any other car on the road, the headline frequency can be misleading. In fact, the data says they account for a tiny fraction of all car fires.”
According to a study by AutoInsuranceEZ, gas-powered vehicles experienced approximately 1,530 fires per 100,000 sold. The same study reported that EVs had about 25 fires per 100,000 sold, indicating a significantly lower fire incidence rate compared to gas-powered vehicles. (Kelly Blue Book: Study: “Electric Vehicles Involved in Fewest Car Fires” https://www.kbb.com/car-news/study-electric-vehicles-involved-in-fewest-car-fires/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
A report from MotorTrend highlighted data from Sweden’s Authority for Social Protection and Preparedness, which found that gas- and diesel-powered cars are 29 times more likely to catch fire than EVs and hybrids. (https://www.motortrend.com/features/you-are-wrong-about-ev-fires/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)