The idea of submerging a burning vehicle into a giant bathtub might seem odd at first, but it’s a real solution proposed by German company Ellermann Eurocon. Okay, it’s not a bathtub in literal terms. It’s a container, called Red Boxx, that submerges the battery of a fire-ravaged car to cool it down and potentially eliminate the risk of fire reignition.
. Even though fire extinguishers can douse these flames, the risk of reignition might persist due to thermal runaway – a phenomenon where battery cells burn uncontrollably in a chain reaction. To bring it into action, it is positioned in front of the damaged car, following which its tailgate is opened to let the car in. Its operators use a winch and specially developed rescue nets made of plastic belts and steel cables to pull the vehicle inside. The water, transported in a separate container, is then sprinkled into the Red Boxx, said CEO Tobias Ellermann in the video below.
Ellermann also mentioned that firefighters and first responders approached the company for a solution to uncontrollable vehicle fires, which they found hard to extinguish. The watertight Red Boxx was their answer to this problem.Tesla Megapack Catches Fire At Battery Storage Facility In California