A horrifying video of an EV battery explosion inside a lift is fast doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups and social media. From what can be seen in the video, a person carrying a removable battery pack of an electric vehicle boards a lift. While inside, the battery quickly begins to spark and catches flames. Within seconds, the battery explodes inside the moving lift, spewing smoke and flames all across.

Part of the video is captured through the camera installed inside the lift. The camera recording stops upon the EV battery explosion inside the lift. The follow-up video is of outside the lift on another floor, where people notice the flames and smoke from the lift and rush to call for help. As the lift stops, people on the landing can be seen dragging the victim out of the elevator. It is not yet confirmed whether the victim lives or succumbed to the injuries, although, the video shows him to be in a critical state upon rescue.

Fact Check – The origin of the horrifying video seems to be from an apartment building in China. However, the video is NOT NEW and was originally posted on October 8, 2021, by a Chinese publication. The video is also being confused with a similar incident that took place in Singapore in 2021.

NOTE – Viewer’s discretion is advised as the video may contain sensitive content

Possible Reason for the Battery Explosion

A text accompanying the video attempts to give a possible reason for the battery explosion. The text reads as follows –

“A person brings the e-bike battery into the lift. When the lift closes, the electro-charge of the battery turns the whole lift into a magnetic battery.“

Fact Check – viewers should note that there is no logic in this and this is certainly not the reason why the battery exploded in the first place. So this piece of information is certainly FALSE.

As in most other cases, possible reasons for the battery exploding in this incident are cell damage, overheating or overcharging.

Takeaways

EV batteries at large cannot be blamed for the incident. Though there are a lot of counterfeit and low-quality battery packs in circulation with the increased use of EVs. Some cases of branded batteries catching fire have also come to light but, they are significantly rare. They also have a trigger point associated, like damaged cells or overcharging.

Counterfeit batteries, however, do not adhere to the specified security guidelines. These are more prone to failure, which in this case resulted in an explosion inside the lift.

So, make sure you use a branded battery pack for your EV and follow the safety guidelines accompanying it for safe and prolonged use.