TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following an electric bus fire on Monday evening, Taipei City Public Transport Office ordered an inspection of all 114 vehicles of the same model in operation, produced by RAC Electric Vehicles.
Authorities found that the bus in question had no record of accidents and had a battery made in Japan. The battery box and battery management system were certified based on European safety regulations, per PTS.
According to the Automotive Research and Testing Center, the cause of the fire may not have been the battery cell but potentially the battery box or battery management system, which can come loose due to high mileage and uneven roads. An investigation is ongoing.
Metropolitan Transport Corp., the operator of the Taipei bus that caught fire, said its fleet includes 20 electric buses of the same model. It has carried out inspections with manufacturer RAC, pledging full cooperation.
RAC General Manager Yang Chih-rong (楊誌榮) said, "We will inspect all the batteries associated with this bus model. We will also cooperate with the current investigation and provide relevant information for further analysis."
The Transportation Safety Board has sent personnel to assist with the investigation. One online electric vehicle reviewer, CJay, pointed out that the accident did not occur during charging.
CJay said, "It is possible that a short circuit occurred in the parts inside the battery. When a short circuit occurs, we have to ask why the battery management system did not implement a control mechanism to directly cut off power."
The ARTC said domestic electric vehicle battery cells have all passed the Bureau of Standards laboratory inspection. It said electric buses use battery packs composed of multiple battery cells, which are equipped with a battery management system that can detect voltage and battery temperature.
ARTC Chair Wang Jheng-jian (王正健) said, “First of all, check the battery management system to see if there are any abnormalities in the temperature and voltage of the battery cells on the day of the incident or previous days.”
By the end of May, there were 2,028 electric buses in Taiwan, including 1,991 urban buses and 37 highway passenger buses. Among the major domestic electric bus manufacturers, RAC accounts for more than half of the market share.
Other electric bus makers include Mastertrans, Tron Energy, Foxtron Vehicle Technology, and Kaison Green Energy.
Chou Wei-guo (周維果), CEO of the Vehicle Safety Certification Center, said, "It is difficult to say that if a new vehicle passes inspection, it will not have any problems 5, 10, or 20 years later. Maintenance and regular inspections are still required."
As Taiwan plans to replace all diesel buses in urban areas with electric buses by 2030, the VSCC said new buses must comply with regulations before they can be licensed. It adds that regular maintenance, care, and inspections are needed to keep buses operating safely.
