The short answer
Electric vehicle battery fires are rare, but in an enclosed car park the risk is what they reach: the cars beside them, the charging equipment and the structure. Ceiling sprinklers wet a fire from above while the battery burns underneath the car. An under-vehicle system such as EV FirePro puts water beneath the battery and sprays sideways to hold the fire inside its bay. Plan the chargers and the fire protection together, on the same drawing and with the same fire consultant.
1
Why a ceiling sprinkler is not enough on its own
A car park sprinkler system is designed to wet a fire from the ceiling down. An EV's battery pack sits under the floor of the car, shielded by the car's own body, and once it enters thermal runaway it produces its own oxygen. Water falling from above cools the roof of the car while the fire continues beneath it.
2
What is at risk
- Vehicles parked in the neighbouring bays.
- The charging equipment on the wall or column beside the bay.
- The building itself: slab, columns and the services above the car.
- People using the car park and the floors above it.
- Parking operations, which stop for as long as the car park is closed.
3
What an under-vehicle system does, and what it does not
The objective is not to extinguish the battery fire. It is targeted cooling under the vehicle and a lateral water spray to contain the flame, protect the structure, and reduce how close firefighters have to get. A fire that stays in one bay, in a structure that survives it, is a manageable incident. A fire that reaches the cars either side in a basement is not.
With EV FirePro, a stainless steel plate about 30 mm high sits in the bay and the car parks over it. Linear heat detection runs beneath the vehicle and starts the system automatically. Vertical nozzles cool the battery pack from below; lateral nozzles hold the fire inside the bay. The system connects to the fire alarm panel and the building management system.
4
The figures the consultants will ask for
| Item | EV FirePro (manufacturer's published figures) |
|---|---|
| Cover plate | 1,990 × 1,270 mm, about 30 mm above finished floor |
| Water supply | 8 l/s at 750 kPa optimal; minimum 4.75 l/s at 160 kPa |
| Connection | 1½" BSP |
| Nozzles | 7 vertical and 14 lateral |
| Detection | 20 temperature sensing points; activation temperature adjustable |
| Interface | Fire alarm panel and BMS, 24 V DC with battery backup, Auto / On / Off selector |
| Material | 304 or 316 stainless steel; 316 for coastal sites |
The flow and pressure figures go to the hydraulic consultant on day one, because they decide whether the existing supply serves the bay or a tank and pump is needed.
5
Plan chargers and fire protection together
- One layout. The charger goes on the wall or a column; the plate goes in the floor of the same bay.
- One electrical and one water calculation, both from the same car park layout.
- One fire strategy. The fire consultant reviews the chargers and the suppression together.
- Start with the charging bays and extend as the number of electric cars grows.
6
Approvals
Acceptance for a given building is settled with Civil Defense and the project's fire consultant, project by project. We will not describe a product as approved in Saudi Arabia until that approval is in writing. What we provide now is the full specification, the manufacturer's test and performance data, and a demonstration unit that a fire brigade or consultant can watch activate.
Questions
What owners and consultants ask
Are EV fires more common than petrol car fires?
No. Electric vehicle battery fires are rare. The concern in an enclosed car park is how far a battery fire can spread and how hard it is to reach from the ceiling.
Does the system put the fire out?
Its objective is to cool the battery from below and contain the fire in its bay, protecting neighbouring cars and the structure, not to extinguish the battery.
Can it use the existing sprinkler or hydrant supply?
Often, if the supply meets the flow and pressure: about 8 l/s at 750 kPa optimal, 4.75 l/s at 160 kPa minimum. Otherwise a dedicated tank and pump is used.
Is there a version for a villa garage?
Yes. The Domestic version is for villas, private garages and low-rise residential, with a dedicated tank and pump.
Which steel grade for Jeddah or the Red Sea?
316 marine-grade stainless steel, for any coastal or harsh environment.
Related
Where to go next
- EV fire protection — the full EV FirePro range and specification
- EV chargers — Wallbox Pulsar Pro and Supernova
- EV Infrastructure — chargers and suppression as one package
Send us your car park layout
Bay count, incoming supply capacity and your fire strategy. You get a load calculation and a protection layout back.