[Here is one of the most interesting electric car fire videos we have seen so far, shared by Emergency-Report.de from Langenfeld, Germany, recorded on 1 November 2020.

According to the report, an Opel Ampera-e (a discontinued version of the Vauxhall Ampera and Chevrolet Bolt EV) connected to the AC charging point (and probably charging) caught fire in the middle of the night.

The Langenfeld fire brigade arrived at around 1 a.m. and saw the Ampera-e up in smoke. They tried to extinguish it with water, concentrating in the front area (where in conventional cars usually there is an engine), but as EV enthusiast knows, it was not too successful to direct water there. The most important thing is to cool down the battery pack.

Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)

Shortly thereafter, an explosion of flames occurred in the rear and we can see the battery fire in full swing. It took a lot of time and water to put the fire out.

Interestingly, despite all of that the 12 V auxiliary power supply seems to be intact, as the dashboard screen was still up and running. Can you imagine that?!

Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)

To not risk re-ignition or any further problems, firefighters decided to lift the car and put it into a steel box, filled with 5,000 litres of water. Immersing in water seems to be the ultimate solution.

The mission ended around 6 a.m. so it was a full five hours at the site. The cause of the fire was not reported.

Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)
Opel Ampera-e fire (source: Emergency-Report.de)