Two Controlled EV Fires Were Fully Extinguished in Minutes With No Reignition, Using Innovative New Product

TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire

Full Circle Lithium Corp. (“FCL” or the “Company”) (TSXV: FCLI) (OTCQB: FCLIF), a USA-based lithium-ion firefighting agent product manufacturer, announces the resounding success of its innovative proprietary lithium-ion battery firefighting agent – FCL-X™ –  quickly and safely extinguishing controlled burns of two electric vehicles (EV) – a Nissan Leaf and a Kia EV9 – with no reignition.

Organized by the technical team at FCL-X™’s US distributor AEST Fire & Safety (“AEST”) with the assistance of regional expert firefighters in Jefferson, Troup, and Harris County, Georgia, FCL demonstrated the effectiveness of FCL-X™ in two real-life EV fires. The demonstrations used the FCL-X Pro™ concentrate product. FCL developed FCL-X Pro™ to assist firefighters in utilizing FCL-X™ in a more efficient format for adding to fire engines’ tanks. FCL-X Pro™ comes in a box of two pails containing enough material to mix with 250 gallons (g) of water per pail or 500g per box of two pails. Most fire engines have tank capacities varying from 250g to over 1,000g which makes our format ideal depending on the size of the tank on the fire engine.

“FCL-X™, a proprietary product under patent application, is the first and only product in the world that we are aware of to truly extinguish lithium-ion battery fires, from small to large EV batteries,” said David Laviner, Founder & President of AEST. “The fire service and industrial customers alike are years behind in being able to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires effectively.  Before the creation of the FCL-X™ fire suppression agent, there was no great way to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires, and this has cost lives and significant property damage.  Now, together with FCL, AEST can change that.”

Carlos Vicens, CEO and Director of FCL stated, “We are on the verge of something transformative for the fire and safety industry. The FCL-X™ fire suppression agent has demonstrated time and again that it is uniquely effective in safely extinguishing and mitigating the risks associated with dangerous lithium-ion battery fires. We look forward to having this product in the hands of first responders, and every person that needs it, consistent with our mission to ensure accessibility to this critical safety solution that should ultimately safeguard lives and property.”

Controlled EV Burns

The first burn was performed on a fully equipped and functioning 2014 Nissan Leaf with a 40-kWh battery at approximately 50% battery charge. AEST’s team of firefighters ignited the vehicle using a blow torch from beneath the car and started extinguishing the vehicle only after it was fully engulfed in flames and the battery was in a full thermal runaway. The fire was first attacked with an extinguisher and immediately after with a 30-gallon per minute (gpm) pressure hose and nozzle. Usually, firefighters attack these fires with one or two 125 gpm pressure hoses and nozzles. The fire was under control in less than five minutes while using less than 250g of FCL-X™. Another important effect of using FCL-X™ on an EV fire was the rapid extinguishing of the fire in other parts of the vehicle excluding the battery, which was evident by the limited damage to the interior of the vehicle.

The second burn was performed on a Kia EV9 with a 77kWh battery at approximately 95% battery charge. AEST’s team of firefighters ignited the vehicle by puncturing the battery from the back seat and started extinguishing the vehicle only after it was fully engulfed in flames and the battery was in full thermal run-away. In this case, because of the size of the fire, it was immediately attacked with a 30-gpm pressure hose and high-pressure nozzle. Again, the team demonstrated the efficacy of FCL-X™ with a purposely very low gpm. The fire was under control in less than six minutes while using approximately 350 gallons of FCL-X™. The effectiveness of FCL-X™ on the remaining part of the burning vehicle excluding the battery was evident as a large portion of the interior vehicle was almost unaffected by the fire. The burning vehicle reached up to 1,200F and FCL-X™ reduced the temperature to approximately 120 -150F within 6 mins.

These results compare extremely favorable and FCL considers these two controlled burns and past tests a resounding success specially when compared to current methods. According to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services, firefighters may need to use up to 40,000g of water on average to extinguish an EV fire, with outliers taking more than 100,000g of water. In addition to this it can take hours, usually between four to eight hours to extinguish an EV battery fire and it can smoulder for hours before reigniting if not properly treated.

E-Scooter Battery Fire Test

Battery Specifications: The test involved a 1 kWh 18650 NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery.
Temperature: The battery reached temperatures around 650°C (or approximately 1200°F) due to a full thermal runaway.
Extinguishing Time: The fire was extinguished within approximately 4 seconds.
Solution Used: About 0.33 gallons of extinguishing solution were required.
Outcome: There was no re-ignition observed after the fire was extinguished.

These results suggest that the extinguishing solution was highly effective in quickly cooling and suppressing the battery fire without the risk of re-ignition.

About Full Circle Lithium Corp.

FCL has developed an innovative lithium-ion battery fire-extinguishing agent – FCL-X™, to address the increasing number of difficult to extinguish and hazardous lithium-ion battery-based fires. A PCT patent application has been filed by the Company to protect its FCL-X™ invention. Additional information regarding FCL is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company’s profile and on its website www.fullcirclelithium.com. 

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