NTSB Final Report of Electric Vehicle Crash and Fire
The NTSB has completed its
investigation of a fatal collision and post-crash fire of an electric vehicle
that occurred in Fort Lauderdale, FL on May 8th, 2018. The Board
determined that the probable cause of this single-vehicle run-off-road crash
was the driver’s loss of control as a result of excessive speed. Contributing
to the severity of the injuries was the post-crash fire originating in the
crash-damaged lithium-ion traction battery. No safety recommendations were
issued.
From the report, when emergencies
crews arrived at the scene, they found the car fully engulfed in flames, and
they reported intense heat and electrical arcing. Responding firefighters
estimated that they extinguished the car’s interior fire was in under a minute.
The crash caused the lithium-ion battery components to separate from the
vehicle. This debris reignited an additional three times as it was loaded and
unloaded from tow trucks. Please see the final accident brief for additional
details.
This investigation is one of
several that NTSB is conducting regarding electric vehicle batteries. There
should be more on this topic in 2020.