EVC对DEECA的回应——能源安全审查

DEECA Regarding:The Energy Safety Review | Engage Victoria Submission to DEECA Energy Safety Review Introduction The Electric Vehicle Council(EVC)appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the DEECAEnergy Safety Review. As the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs)accelerates, it is crucial to ensure that safety standards evolvein line with evidence.Whilelithium-ion batteries invehicles may seem like a new development,they have been used inproduction hybrid and electric cars in Australia for ~15 years1.EVs now have a well-established safety record,with over 30 million EVs in use globally without widespreadissues2.Public interest in EV technologyis high, but concerns are sometimes amplified bysensational media coverage. It is important that policy decisions be guided by data andreal-world evidence rather than misconceptions or fear. This submission focuses on EVspecific safety considerations, including battery fire risks, relevant standards (AustralianDesign Rules, National Construction Code), workforce training, and consumer educationmeasures to support a safe transition. Energy safety EV fires: Incidence and Risk Management EV fireincidentsare vanishingly rare.Real world data shows that EVs are significantly lesslikely to catch fire than conventional petrol or diesel vehicles. Analysis by EV Fire Safefound onlyabout 0.0012% of passenger EVs experienced a battery fire in the decade 2012-2020, whereas roughly 0.1% of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles caught firein thattime frame3.In other words, ICE vehicles have been about 80 times more likely toexperience a fire than EVs.Australian experiences with EVs have been positive;until May2024, only six EV fires in Australia had been verified4. And,notably, none of these fireswere caused by battery charging orspontaneousexplosions. The rarity of EV fires is not coincidental; it reflects the extensive safety measures built intomodernbattery management systems (BMS) in EVs. The sophisticated BMScontinuouslymonitorsbattery conditions(i.e.,temperature,voltage, current,etc.)and can rapidlyintervene to prevent overheating or overcharging that could lead to fire.In addition,Australian Design Rules (ADRs) impose stringent safety requirements on EV manufacturersto ensure batteries and high voltage components remain safe under both normal use andcrash conditions5. The data strongly indicates that EVs do not pose a greater fire risk than conventional ICEvehicles. On the contrary, they have proven to be safer in this regard. NationalConstructionCode Establishing clear and consistent standards and codes for EV charging infrastructure iscritically important to ensure the efficient use and deployment of EVSE without sacrificingreliability, convenience, safety or accessibility for electric vehicle drivers. Any proposalsthat inhibit, prohibit, or impose prescriptive locations for EV charging infrastructure, fireapparatusaccess,requirements for vehicle impact protection,automatic sprinklers,emergency disconnect switches, and signage etc.lack technical justification, have notundergone a thorough code review process with expert stakeholder input and will bedetrimental to expansion of EV charging infrastructure in Australian buildings going forward. However, national requirements such as the National Construction Code(NCC)still createonerous barriers that are redundant given the level of safety in built into EVs and EVSE,e.g.: 1. Clarification on ‘special hazard’–as noted by the ABCBCEO,6the presence of EVsand EV chargers is now common, should not be considered special, and therefore is notsufficient to invoke the ‘special hazard’ clauses. We recommend Victorian Governmentprovide clarification to this effect to building and fire authorities, to supplement onlineguidance materials around NCC that reside on the ABCB website and in standaloneguidance relating to EV charging. 2.Carpark fire safety improvements–when individuals or companies are deniedpermission to install EV chargers, due to uncertainty about consequences for buildingoccupancy certificates, expensive remediation, insurance premiums etc. brought about byimplications from fire authority publications, this delays EV uptake.We support adjustmentsmade to clauses E1D5, E1D9, S17C2, S5C19 and S5C22oftheNCC2025 public draft,butweencouragetheVictorian Government to consider other regulatory avenues to removebarriers to EVSE installations. A key area to support futureproofing the built environment for the EV transition is theintegration of National Construction Code (NCC) requirements for EV readiness into statelegislation to ensure a consistent regulatory environment across Australia. With SectionJ9D4 of NCC2022 currently in effect, the recent draft of NCC2025 has outlined furtherchanges that enable the standards to adapt to growing demand for EV infrastructure.7At a local government level, governments are encouraged to, at a minimum, align planningrequirements with the EV readiness requ