Mercedes-Benz/Kia's EV caught fire in South Korea, and 7 automakers including Mercedes-Benz and BMW handed over the "list" of battery suppliers

From August 1 to August 23, seven automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, Polestar, Hyundai, Kia and KG Mobility Corp., announced battery brand information in South Korea. This action was caused by the fire accidents of electric vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and Kia in South Korea, which aroused great tension and concern among the Korean people.

The battery suppliers of the models involved are Farasis Energy and SK On.

According to the Korean "Joongang Ilbo", on August 1, in the underground parking lot of an apartment building in Cheongna, Incheon, a Mercedes-Benz EQE pure electric car caught fire and quickly spread. It was not completely extinguished until 8 hours later, causing 23 residents to be hospitalized for smoke inhalation and about 140 cars to be ruined or damaged. At the same time, due to power outages and water outages in the apartment, some residents were forced to move to shelters.

The news of the fire quickly made the front page headlines of major Korean media. On the 6th, in Geumsan, 166 kilometers south of Seoul, a Kia EV6 electric car also caught fire in a parking lot.

According to a report from South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo, the Mercedes-Benz EQE that caught fire has been confirmed to be equipped with Farasis Energy's battery, but the specific model and production date have not yet been announced. The Kia EV6 is equipped with SK On's battery. It is reported that Mercedes-Benz Korea issued a statement on August 13, saying: "We are making every effort to cooperate with the fire authorities to determine the root cause of the fire." At the same time, Mercedes-Benz Korea said that from August 14, it will provide free testing services to electric vehicle owners at 75 service centers in South Korea. The company also plans to donate about 4.5 billion won (about 23.8 million yuan) to help residents affected by the electric vehicle fire accident.

7 car companies voluntarily handed over the "list" of battery suppliers.

It is understood that according to the previous regulations of the South Korean government, automakers need to provide certain information about the car, such as only limited details about the battery, without providing the name of the battery manufacturer.

However, the two consecutive electric vehicle fires have caused panic and concern among the Korean people. Therefore, on Tuesday, the 13th, the South Korean government decided to recommend that automakers take the initiative to disclose information about battery suppliers for all electric vehicles sold in South Korea.

Although it is not a mandatory requirement, 7 automakers have responded and disclosed information about battery suppliers, including three local automakers, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and KG Mobility Corp., as well as four overseas automakers, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo Cars and Polestar, involving a total of 40 electric models.

Specifically, BMW is the first foreign automaker to take the initiative to disclose information about battery suppliers in South Korea. It is reported that the battery supplier for BMW's electric SUVs iX1 and iX3 is CATL, and the electric sedans iX, i4, i5 and i7 use batteries from Samsung SDI.

Mercedes-Benz Korea has announced the power battery information of 16 models sold in South Korea, including China's Farasis Energy and CATL, as well as South Korea's LG New Energy and SK On. In the EQE product line, only the 300 model is supplied by CATL, while the battery supplier for the 350+, AMG 53 4MATIC+ and 350 4MATIC models is Farasis Energy; the electric sedan model EQS 350 also uses batteries from Farasis Energy, and the battery supplier for other EQS models is CATL.

Hyundai Motor has announced battery information for 13 electric models. Except for the Kona Electric, which uses batteries from CATL, the battery suppliers for all other models are LG Energy Solution and SK On.

Kia Motors' battery suppliers for seven electric models include LG Energy Solution and SK On, but its latest A-class car Ray EV and some Niro EVs are equipped with batteries from CATL.