An electric car battery flared in a store in China, sparking panic alongside a renewed discussion on the safety of these batteries and their vehicles

• The electric car battery exploded in the store // Photo: Christos Kintis

After discovering that batteries for smartphones are bursting with recharge or flare, it turns out that the phenomenon also exists in electric car batteries.

A video from a store in China shows how a battery of a car being charged (outside the vehicle) starts to smoke, and then it ignites and fires. Customers and shop workers panic and run away. Fire and rescue authorities in China have called on residents not to charge batteries that require high power such as batteries for vehicles, homes or confined spaces.

It should be noted that the US Director of Traffic Safety in the United States has recently launched an investigation into the potential dangers of Tesla's electric vehicle batteries. The investigation came after several incidents in the past where rechargeable batteries began to burn, and after concerns about defects in batteries produced by Tesla, concerns of the kind suggesting that there is a chance that during high-voltage charging the battery may ignite.

Photo: Christos Kintis

Last February, an American was killed in Florida when his Tesla S Type vehicle collided and then started combustion, a similar report of a fire in the Tesla S came from Hong Kong where a car parked started burning.

Following these two glitches, Tesla released a software update for S and X vehicles that forces the batteries to charge up to only 80 percent. However, the update caused car owners to complain to the company that it had reduced the range of cars between loading and unloading. Tesla itself noted that the update "comes to keep drivers safe and after the update no further battery issues were noted."