The Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) has shared a recent fire incident involving two electric vehicles (EV) which has damaged a portion of the home.
According to the Facebook post by BOMBA Damansara, the fire involved two EVs parked in a car porch and the flames have spread into the interior of the house, damaging approximately 10% of the residence.
BOMBA added that no accidents or injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
While it was not mentioned in the Facebook post, the incident appears to have taken place around Petaling Jaya.
Based on visual observation, the two EVs appear to be an XPeng G6 and a BYD Seal. The video shows that the fire was successfully contained and extinguished using water.
As shown below, the vehicle on the left sustained the most damage, while the other unit still has part of its front bumper intact.
At the moment, BOMBA has yet to state the possible cause of the fire and no further details were shared.
For now, it isn’t clear if the fire originated from one of the vehicles, charging equipment or other sources.
It is worth highlighting that the risk of fire in EVs is far lower than in internal combustion engine vehicles. According to BOMBA, five cases of EV fires have been reported in the past three years.
The department’s Director-General Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad cited data from the United States and Europe, which showed that EVs catch fire less frequently than gasoline-powered cars.
He said there were 1,530 fires per 100,000 gasoline vehicles (1.53%) and 3,475 fires per 100,000 hybrid vehicles (3.48%). Meanwhile, there were 25 fires per 100,000 EVs (0.025%).
Recently, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has also raised concerns about electrical overload when it comes to home EV wallbox chargers.
As highlighted by MyEVOC President Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, there have been many instances where the main TNB cut-off fuse for single-phase homes has blown, or where the fuse casing was burnt, while an EV was being charged via AC at the full 32A.
EV owners who plan to charge their vehicles at 7kW are advised to upgrade their home’s power supply to three-phase. Alternatively, they can reduce their AC charging power to 3–4kW (16–20A) to provide a greater safety margin.
Datuk Shahrol also recommends that users install a smoke detector near the meter or TNB fuse.
For those planning to install a home EV charger, it is recommended to engage reputable installers for greater peace of mind.
A professional installer would verify your home’s current supply capacity and available load headroom before recommending a charger. The installation must also comply with national regulatory standards, including adherence to TNB’s Electricity Supply Application Handbook (ESAH) and the Energy Commission’s (ST) EV charging station (EVCS) guidelines.
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