As sales of electric vehicles (EVs) increase, there is a growing concern over EV fires, and the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill in February that would mandate all firefighters be trained on how to put out EV battery fires.
According to Kelly Blue Book, 5.8 percent of the new cars Americans bought in 2022 were electric, up from 3.2 percent in 2021, and total EV sales topped 800,000 for the first time.
Virginia Del. Israel O’Quinn sponsored House Bill 2451 to require the executive director of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs to develop a training program for EV fires.
The bill was created because firefighters were concerned about their lack of knowledge on how to extinguish EV fires….