Another Racetrack Bans EVs Over Safety Concerns

Australia’s Willowbank Raceway has issued a formal ban on drivers running all-electric vehicles, citing fire-related safety concerns. It joins the UK-based Anglesey Circuit and West Virginia’s Summit Point as the third track to restrict EVs from competing or testing.

"After careful consideration and investigation, Willowbank Raceway has decided that we can no longer allow road-registered Fully Electric Vehicles to race or test at Willowbank Raceway," the venue explained in a release.

"We have been reviewing the regulations from Motorsport Australia, NEDRA, as well as the emergency response procedures for specific vehicles and after information provided by these departments, we have determined that the risks associated with racing and testing Electric Vehicles are too high … This will take effect immediately and will only apply to Full Electric Vehicles at all events at Willowbank Raceway. We will continue to allow Hybrid Vehicles to run."

According to The Canberra Times, Willowback had been involved with extensive consultation with both Motorsport Australia and the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) before deciding that the risks were simply “too high.”

However, it’s likely that the location is worried about the well being of the track in addition to the drivers of EVs and its safety crew. Accidents sometimes happen at racing events and those occasionally result in on-track fires. But not all fires are the same and battery fires come with unique problems requiring novel solutions.

Statistically, EV fires are supposed to be rarer than those encountered by combustion automobiles. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) estimates that gasoline-reliant vehicle fires are about 60 times more common per capita. Tesla has similarly claimed that gas vehicles are 11 times more likely to catch fire than its own all-electric products. But both entities have a vested interest in making EVs look good. Tesla wants to make sales and the NTSB is currently being overseen by an administration that wants EVs to become the dominant mode of transportation within the United States as soon as possible.

But we’ve not seen anything to suggest that EVs are more prone toward catching fire. If anything, they do indeed appear to have the advantage in terms of fire frequency. But they also tend to be newer versus the sea of ancient and poorly maintained combustion vehicles that they share the road with.

The issue is that EV fires tend to happen in extremely inconvenient places. For example, some battery related fires have taken place while vehicles were charging — meaning they were parked inside someone’s garage. Combine that with the fact that EV fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and you’ve got yourself a serious problem.

Crashes likewise encourage fires, regardless of whether the car is running off flammable fuels or battery power. Tanks or lines can be ruptured, as can EV battery cells. If the latter experiences thermal runaway, it won’t be long until the entire car is engulfed in flames that are notoriously hard to extinguish. This was something the Willowbank Raceway touched upon in its release.

It’s concerned that it simply isn’t equipped to handle ruptured batteries emitting flammable gasses. Fire crews have started to be trained on how to extinguish EV fires and the method typically involves going overboard by trying to totally saturate the battery and, ideally, flood the entire area. In some cases, burning cars have literally been dragged somewhere where they can be submerged. There are even specialized tools designed to force water directly into the battery compartment. However, all of the above can sometimes create an electrocution hazard for first responders.

The track has indicated that it simply isn’t equipped to deal with such problems. It likewise expressed fears that it would be harder to rescue someone in a wrecked EV due the fact that many have retractable, electronic door handles.

A prolonged EV fire also runs a higher risk of damaging the track itself due to burning longer, hotter, and being situated directly beneath the vehicle where the battery is located. Gasoline or methanol fires are more prone to spreading upward, burn cooler (especially methanol), and can often be quickly dealt with using portable powder, CO2, or foam-based fire suppression systems.

From the sound of things, Willowbank is aware that racing is already dangerous and just doesn’t feel comfortable trying to tackle EV fires if it doesn’t have to. It’s likewise presumably concerned that single electric-vehicle fire could damage the track, forcing prolonged downtime and expensive repairs.

But it’s actually in the minority in terms of banning EVs. With the exception of Anglesey Circuit in Wales and West Virginia’s Summit Point, we’re not aware of any other race tracks restricting all-electric vehicles from running. The assumption here is that they’re simply not large enough to feel comfortable coping with EV fires. However, I live near a couple drag strips and neither of those have issued any formal bans on battery powered cars.

Willowbank has likewise been clear that it’s only banning fully electric vehicles, saying hybrid cars will still have the green light to run on the track.

[Image: Willowbank Raceway]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.