Victorian EV fire sparks warning for Australian drivers

A potentially deadly blaze in an Australian garage has prompted authorities to offer advice to EV owners.

Electric vehicle owners have been warned to use the correct equipment when charging, following a potentially deadly blaze in Victoria.

Firefighters responded to a blaze in Glen Waverley last week, following emergency calls to triple zero.

Photo of the Nissan Leaf e+

They extinguished a blaze that severely damaged a Nissan Leaf EV as well as a Genesis luxury sedan.

Two people and a dog escaped serious injury from the blaze.

The service’s Fire Investigation Unit combed through debris and “determined the fire was not caused by the electric vehicle but from a travel adaptor connected to an aftermarket charging lead”.

Fire Rescue Victoria have warned EV owners not to use travel adaptors when charging. Photo: Supplied

The Nissan Leaf does not include a cable designed for home charging with a household power point.

Nissan’s Australian website states that “you may elect to consider a portable charging (contingency) cable which can be plugged into a standard domestic power point … This cable is not supplied as standard with your vehicle and is an aftermarket accessory which can be purchased from your Nissan EV dealer”.

Many electric cars do not include charging cables for use at home power points.

Genuine EV charging cables can cost more than $500, which pushes some owners to consider cheaper alternatives from third-party suppliers.

Fire authorities have urged EV owners to stick to the official cables designed for use with a particular vehicle, as chargers with incorrect power delivery can cause damage to the battery or overheating that can lead to fires.

Advice published by Fire Rescue Victoria states that people should only use chargers with Australian Standards compliance marks, and never to use damaged cables, batteries or plugs.