Hybrid Car Explosion Risk
A hybrid car exploded in Izegem, West Flanders, while charging, causing severe damage to an adjacent apartment building.
A case like this is extremely rare, but unfortunately, it cannot be prevented. - Bastiaan Reymer
According to Bastiaan Reymer, lecturer in Automotive Technology at Thomas More University, the combination of a fuel tank and an electric component in a hybrid car can increase the risk of explosion.
- Modern electric cars are less prone to catching fire than petrol-fuelled cars.
- A hybrid car contains a combination of both technologies, slightly increasing the risk of explosion.
Reymer explains that an electric car with a battery would burn gradually in the event of a fire, whereas a hybrid car's combination of technologies poses a unique risk.
Author's summary: Hybrid cars have a higher explosion risk due to combined technologies.