Benz that sparked recent fire equipped with Farasis battery

[Photo by Yonhap]

A Mercedes-Benz EQE that recently caught fire in an underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon was found to be equipped with a battery made by Farasis Energy Gan Zhou Co.

Industry sources and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport said on Monday that the battery cell used in the car that caught fire in an underground parking lot of a Cheongna apartment complex in Incheon on Thursday was identified as a product from Chinese manufacturer Farasis. Mercedes-Benz EQEs are reported to be primarily equipped with batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), but the battery in the vehicle involved in this accident was from Farasis.

Mercedes-Benz AG uses batteries from various manufacturers for its new cars, depending on specific details and specifications, as part of its strategy to cut costs and diversify its supply chain. The battery installed in the EQE is of the nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) type, although the exact model name was not disclosed. Mercedes-Benz began using Farasis NCM batteries in the EQE following a strategic partnership established in July 2020, investing 400 million euros (approximately $438 million) in Farasis at the time to acquire a 3 percent stake and agreeing to sequentially equip its electric vehicle lineup, including the EQE, with Farasis batteries.

Founded in 2009, Farasis recorded a revenue of $2.32 billion in 2023 and achieved a shipment volume of 15 gigawatt-hours, ranking within the top 10 globally in both revenue and shipment volume, with its global market share at 1.8 percent., Farasis signed a 10-year battery supply contract with Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, for a total volume of 170 GWh in 2018.

Farasis batteries have been recalled in China due to fire risks stemming from quality defects. the state-owned Beijing Automotive Group Co. (BAIC) recalled 31,963 electric vehicles equipped with Farasis batteries in March 2021, citing the “possibility of battery fires under certain conditions.” Farasis acknowledged the defects and covered all the recall costs.

There have been occasional reports of other Mercedes-Benz EQEs catching fire since the models’ release. An EQE 350 parked in a residential garage in Florida caught fire in 2023, resulting in the total loss of the vehicle and property damage. According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue in Florida, the vehicle was not charging and had been parked for 22 hours.

Experts are looking into whether battery defects were the cause of the recent EQE fire. The incident resulted in 23 apartment residents inhaling smoke as well as property damage, including the destruction of around 140 vehicles. The fire also led to power and water outages, forcing approximately 400 residents to stay in temporary housing facilities.