At the 2025 Australasian Fleet Education and Leadership Summit, Emma Sutcliffe, Project Director at EV Firesafe, delivered a much-needed reality check for fleet managers navigating the complex and often misunderstood topic of electric vehicle (EV) fire safety. Her message was clear and emphatic: “If everything is operating normally, EV charging cannot and will not cause a fire.”
Sutcliffe, who is also a trained firefighter, brought her deep expertise and international research to the stage to demystify a topic that’s been plagued by misinformation and fear. Her presentation tackled both the rare but serious nature of EV battery fires and the confusion surrounding EV charging infrastructure.
Dispelling the Myths Around EV Fires
Sutcliffe acknowledged the fear that EV fires can instil, especially for fleet operators. The imagery of jet-like flames and boiling electrolyte gas clouds from lithium-ion batteries may be dramatic, but these incidents are extremely rare and often misrepresented online.
“There’s a lot of crap online,” she said bluntly, calling out fear-mongering YouTube channels that profit from public anxiety. “They’re not firefighters. They’re not qualified. But they’re making money from scaring you.”
Her team at EV Firesafe has tracked global incidents since 2010 and confirmed that only 109 EV battery fires occurred while vehicles were connected to a charger—just 15% of all EV battery fires worldwide. In Australia, there have been just 10 confirmed EV battery fires, with only one occurring while charging—and even that was later linked to a manufacturing defect that triggered a recall.
Charging Is Safe — If Done Right
“If you take away just one message from this presentation,” Sutcliffe urged, “let it be this: you cannot cause an electric vehicle battery fire if the car and the charging equipment are operating normally and are installed to standard by a qualified electrician.”
She explained that AC and DC chargers in Australia are built with multiple safety checks. The clunking sound you hear when connecting a vehicle signals these systems verifying electrical integrity. If something is wrong, charging simply won’t proceed. Sutcliffe warned against using non-compliant “granny chargers” (the portable chargers plugged into household sockets), especially with ageing wiring, as these can become a risk point.
One Queensland case she shared involved a man using a granny cable on 26-year-old wiring. When the PowerPoint overheated, it ignited nearby petrol and oxy-acetylene tanks. The car’s battery wasn’t the issue—it was the unsafe charging setup.
Practical Tools and Training for Fleet Managers
EV Firesafe isn’t just raising alarms—it’s providing actionable solutions. Sutcliffe highlighted a range of free and low-cost resources for fleet managers:
- 15-Point Plan developed with the Australian Building Code Board: Offers practical, cost-neutral steps to ensure charging site safety and support emergency responders.
- Charging Safety Poster: A simple visual aid reminding drivers not to charge damaged, flooded, or recalled vehicles. Used by major partners like Woolworths and Defence.
- EV Safer Charging System: A comprehensive online course for \$190 that walks fleet managers through designing, installing, and maintaining safe EV charging sites. It includes:
- Risk matrices
- Emergency shutdown signage
- Driver safety booklets
- Home charging safety checklists
- Printable action plans for insurance and emergency services
“This isn’t about spending thousands on fire blankets or magic sprays,” Sutcliffe said. “Those products don’t work and can actually increase the risk to your team.”
Questions from the Floor
Audience members appreciated Sutcliffe’s no-nonsense delivery and sought her advice on specific scenarios:
- Extreme environments: EVs operate globally in both freezing (Norway) and scorching (Saudi Arabia) climates. However, for sites like underground mines or airport aprons, she advised bespoke fire risk assessments.
- Home charging: Sutcliffe strongly recommended dedicated AC chargers for home use, installed by licensed electricians and separate from older household circuits.
- Battery chemistries: There’s no such thing as a fireproof lithium-ion battery. While some chemistries like LFP (lithium iron phosphate) may burn more slowly, they still burn. “We’ve made them burn,” she stated plainly.
- Comparison with petrol/diesel fires: Fire services in NSW handle roughly 3,000 ICE vehicle fires annually compared to just three confirmed EV battery fires.
- Overcharging fears: Modern EVs have battery management systems that prevent overcharging—unlike e-bikes or scooters, which are often the real culprits behind battery fire headlines.
Cutting Through the Noise
Sutcliffe’s presentation struck a chord because it balanced realism with reassurance. “You’re being asked to electrify your fleet, but the regulation around safety is unclear, and there’s a lot of dodgy information out there,” she acknowledged.
Instead of buying into hype or fear, she urged fleet managers to build confidence through understanding and preparation. “You cannot outsource safety to a gadget. You need process, planning, and good design.”
EV Firesafe continues to lead the charge in this space, working with mining operators, defence, utilities, and international emergency services. As Sutcliffe reminded the audience: “We’re firefighters. We’re not selling anything except accurate information.”
Fleet managers looking to navigate the transition to electric safely would do well to start with EV Firesafe’s growing library of practical tools and training. Visit www.evfiresafe.com to access resources and enrol in the online course.
As EV adoption grows, the focus on safety must grow with it—and thanks to experts like Emma Sutcliffe, fleet operators don’t have to face this transition alone.
