Battery Fires Plague Electric Car Factory, Several Workers Need Medical Treatment

Electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid has had to deal with battery fires twice in a three-month span.

Both fires broke out at Lucid’s Casa Grande production facility in Arizona, Business Insider reported July 13.

The two fires were connected to batteries.

The first happened on March 14. As firefighters were en route to deal with a “thermal runaway,” the call was upgraded to a “hazardous situation,” according to Business Insider.

When they arrived, they found that a battery had been dropped into a water tank to cool it down and one person had been burned.

The second fire incident took place several weeks later on June 19.

When firefighters arrived again, they found an “active car battery fire” outside of the building in Casa Grande, Business Insider reported.

Once again, the battery at issue had been dropped in water outside the factory. Four employees were treated for possible smoke inhalation, and another employee sought treatment at a medical center, the report said.

These fires came as Lucid was increasing its production at the Casa Grande factory, Inside EVs reported.

Casa Grande fire department responds to two Lucid plant battery fires https://t.co/kiHSQKdCga via @phxbizjournal

— AZ Patriot (@Czarcraft_) July 18, 2022

This week, however, the EV maker slashed its production outlook by 50 percent, citing supply-chain disruptions and “logistical challenges.”

Fires related to electric vehicles are nothing new.

On July 29 in Massachusetts, there was a malfunction that resulted in a battery fire, The Patriot Ledger reported.

In June, an I-Pace, which is Jaguar’s first and only entirely electric vehicle, caught fire while charging, Electrek reported.

Last year, General Motors had to recall its totally electric Chevrolet Bolt due to battery malfunctions that caused fires, Autoweek reported.

Now Lucid is experiencing other setbacks as well after these fires.

The company’s stock fell about 13 percent in premarket trading after it announced the production cut, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.