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The number of full electric and hybrid electric vehicles is rapidly growing [1][2][3]. The new technologies accompanying this trend are increasingly becoming a focal point of interest for rescue services. There is much uncertainty about the right techniques to free trapped occupants after an accident. The same applies to vehicle fires. Can car fires involving vehicles with a lithium ion traction battery be handled in the same way as conventional vehicle fires? Is water the right extinguishing agent? Is there a risk of explosion? There are many unanswered questions surrounding the topic of electric vehicle safety. The lack of information is a breeding ground for rumours, misinformation and superficial knowledge. Discussions on various internet platforms further this trend. Tests were conducted on three lithium ion traction batteries, which were fuel-fired until burning on their own. The batteries were then extinguished with water, a surfactant and a gelling agent.

1 A recent breakthrough in understanding the origin of ion signals from operating combustion engines [12] led to a new approach in integrating advanced ion current sensing into a compact ignition system. Thus it is now possible to continuously monitor mixture, ignition and combustion properties through online ion current recordings via a novel AC technique. In this paper this AC technique is compared to the standard DC technique and its known drawbacks: expensive high voltage components, sensitivity to plug fouling and expensive electronics. The AC technique is based on the specific properties of the electrical field of spark plugs being characterized by a point source with an extreme inhomogeneity of the electrical field due to the small center electrode. This causes a distinct diode characteristic of the ion signal: very low signals for negative voltages and high signals for positive ion sensing voltages, respectively.