Chinese engineers have proposed shooting off electric car batteries that catch fire
China has shown a prototype of a system for emergency firing of an electric car battery in case of fire threat. It looks dodgy and creepy.
Here's What We Know
Electric car fires are very difficult to extinguish. Therefore, one of the priorities of battery developers is to create products that do not ignite in the event of an accident. China, however, has demonstrated a completely different approach: a high-speed ejection system. It literally shoots the battery out of the car like a projectile in an emergency.
The demonstration was captured on a video that went viral on Chinese social media. The clip shows a large battery pack flying out of the side of the crossover followed by smoke. Rescue services quickly covered the battery with a special fireproof blanket after it landed in a designated cushioned area.
According to Chinese media, the system works on the principle of an airbag. If sensors detect a thermal event in the battery, the system can trigger an ejection in less than a second, throwing the battery 3-6 metres away from the car. The idea is to protect the driver and passengers from a potential fire.
It looks like the battery could fly straight off into another moving vehicle, onto pedestrians or across a busy road. A battery weighing hundreds of kilograms is a projectile as far from harmless as possible. And in serious accidents, when fires are most likely, the body of the car can deform enough to block the battery dump system.
Markings on the crossover indicate that the tests were organised by the China Automotive Collision Repair Technology Research Center. Graphics on the stage show that the demonstration took place as part of the "Power Battery Catapult Technology Demonstration and Exchange Meeting" on 19 September 2025.
The prototype appears to be based on the iCar 03T, although the automaker was quick to distance itself from the experiment. In a post on Chinese social media, the Chery-owned brand said it had nothing to do with the experiment. There were rumours that Joyson Group might have been involved in the project, but the company also denied involvement.
Source: Epochtimes
