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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <title>Assessing and Mitigating Electrical Fires on Transit Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487298</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transit vehicle fires have safety implications for passengers and employees as well as liability implications for manufacturers, suppliers, and operators. The majority of electrical/arcing fire events lead to a total burn out/loss of the vehicle or serious smoke incidents. Fuses and circuit breakers are not designed for this specific failure mode and traditional fire detection and suppression methods have not proven effective. The problem is further complicated by varying engine compartment configurations, equipment layout within compartments, routing of cables, and continuous changes to vehicles to improve environmental impact, weight, and cost. Although there are some technologies and practices that may prove beneficial or perhaps even significantly reduce the frequency and severity of arcing events, original equipment manufacturers and operators are reluctant to implement such technologies and practices due partially to past difficulties and costs. Some preliminary work has been undertaken to determine methods to produce repeatable failure modes for testing of technologies, and efforts related to fire detection in heavy-duty vehicles are currently under way. While the referenced efforts do not specifically test for arcing conditions, the testing standards could be modified to support arcing conditions. Research is needed to avoid unnecessary interruption of revenue service, passenger injury, and expenditure of operating and capital funds for buses and rail passenger vehicles. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop guidance for assessing and mitigating electrical fires on transit vehicles. Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:17:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487298</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Emergency Management Strategies for Electric Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2445135</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Electric vehicle (EV) sales have steadily increased in recent years, representing 16.3% of new vehicle sales. The vast majority of EVs use high-voltage lithium-ion batteries. When these batteries are damaged in crashes, they are susceptible to thermal runaway where uncontrolled increases in temperature and pressure can lead to fires and reignition hours or days later. Conventional fire suppression techniques are often ineffective as cathode materials inside lithium-ion batteries release heat and oxygen when decomposing at high temperatures, creating instances where electric vehicles can burn even when submerged in water. This has led to electric vehicle fires which can burn at the roadside for several hours and reignite during and after transport from the scene, creating additional congestion and safety risks for responders. The unique characteristics of lithium-ion battery fires create new risks for emergency responders, and require new strategies and coordination among police, fire, tow companies, and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). This project aims to assess the presence and risk of EV fires, review the state of the art and practice in EV fire suppression, coordinate with firefighters in Virginia and nationally, and identify methods for VDOT to support EV fire suppression.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Oct 2024 08:33:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2445135</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Electric Vehicle Fire Mitigation and Response Toolkit



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381748</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Due to lithium-ion battery fires, electric vehicles (EVs) present unique challenges in traffic incident management (TIM) and emergency management (EM). TIM is a planned and coordinated multidisciplinary process aimed at detecting, responding to, and clearing traffic incidents while restoring traffic flow as safely and quickly as possible. In TIM, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have safety service patrols (SSPs) that offer services ranging from courtesy patrols, which provide simple motorist assistance, to more advanced services involving aggressive roadway clearance of disabled or wrecked vehicles. EM is a programmatic activity with a comprehensive approach to the full cycle of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery of all hazards (including natural and manmade disasters), accidental disruptions, and other emergencies. 

State DOTs encounter EV fires in both TIM and EM situations. During an SSP response, an EV fire may influence whether the vehicle is pushed, pulled, dragged, or driven. Safety concerns arise regarding the personal protective equipment used for responding to EV fires, as well as considerations for transporting or storing EVs after a fire. Additionally, the risks posed by lithium-ion battery fires affect state DOTs as they electrify their fleets and store the vehicles. EV fires can affect infrastructure (e.g., pavement and bridges), have environmental impacts, and sometimes require warning people nearby. EM situations can become cascading events that make responding to EV fires more difficult (e.g., EV fires during earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes). Further, EV fires require different considerations depending on whether they occur in urban, rural, or remote areas.

Research is needed to support state DOTs as they manage lithium-ion battery EV fires during situations ranging from normal TIM to situations where hazards, accidental disruptions, and other emergencies are cascading events.

The objective of this research is to develop a toolkit that addresses the risks, opportunities, solutions, and costs associated with lithium-ion battery EV fires. The research shall consider the all-hazards approach to EM and its cycle.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2024 10:09:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381748</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>First responder and EV crash investigation safety</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2050268</link>
      <description><![CDATA[New research to augment and update existing first responder safety protocol recommendations including toxicity of Li-ion fires will be pursued. This will include expanding internal capabilities with charging and discharging equipment purchases as well as personal protective equipment to safely supports more electric vehicle (EV) crash investigations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2022 10:24:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2050268</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lithium-Ion Battery Transit Bus Fire Prevention and Risk Management</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1893354</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The risk of lithium-ion battery fires is a concern for transit agencies that are considering whether to electrify their bus fleets. The transit industry has largely addressed lithium-ion battery fire risk by incorporating rigorous early detection and protection protocols in battery management systems that prevent thermal runaway when the battery pack is physically compromised through improper use or external impact. At current zero-emission bus (ZEB) fleet scales, the magnitude of these risks is relatively small; there is, however, no widespread understanding of how lithium-ion battery fire risks will be magnified when fleet size increases. Damaged cells in a lithium-ion battery can lead to thermal runaway, a phenomenon in which a failure in the architecture of a battery cell (e.g., a short) causes the heat of the battery to rapidly increase, releasing flammable gas which then ignites, triggering similar events in adjacent cells. The ensuing fires are difficult to extinguish and must be addressed with significant quantities of specialized fire suppressants. There are also documented instances of stranded energy remaining after a lithium-ion battery fire is extinguished, causing batteries to reignite after the fires have been initially suppressed by first responders. 

The objective of this research is to develop a guide to lithium-ion battery transit bus fire prevention and risk management with recommended practices for original equipment manufacturers, battery companies, transit agency facilities, and vehicle maintenance.

The focus should be on zero-emission transit bus fire prevention and risk management. A parallel project is addressing power generation, distribution, and charging infrastructure; institutional relations; and operations.

At a minimum, the research team shall (1) review the potential root causes of ZEB lithium-ion battery fires, including an analysis of the potential of such fires to spread to other vehicles or reignite after suppression; (2) evaluate risk mitigation options; (3) identify, evaluate, and summarize effective practices for fire risk mitigation and suppression, focusing on agencies that store and charge their buses in indoor facilities; (4) identify quantitative and qualitative metrics that can be used to evaluate vehicle and battery performance as they relate to fire and life safety; and (5) address the technical, economic, and institutional barriers to implementing identified solutions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2021 22:05:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1893354</guid>
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