Lucid Air electric car reduced to shell after catching fire in Poland crash

A Lucid Air electric car has caught on fire after its battery was reportedly punctured when the vehicle smashed into a pole.

The incident happened at a busy intersection in the Polish capital of Warsaw on Friday when the driver – who was not seriously injured in the crash –allegedly swerved to avoid hitting another car, and their Lucid instead collided with the pole, bursting into flames.

A YouTube video posted by onlookers shows emergency services attempting to bring the inferno under control, with one firefighter dousing the sedan with water when suddenly the flames reignite.

While fires involving lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars are especially dangerous because they burn fiercely and can release toxic gases, electric-car fires are much rarer than when petrol and diesel vehicles catch alight.

An electric passenger vehicle is considered around 100 times less likely to catch fire than a petrol or diesel vehicle

However they often make headlines as they are harder to extinguish, because they are resistant to the most common forms of fire suppressants.

MORE: How many electric cars actually catch fire? We ask the experts

According to local reports including from the Miejeski Reporter, the driver received medical attention but was not seriously injured.

The incident however did cause transport woes in the city with major delays felt across the public transport network.

It has brought the issue of how electric car fires are tackled back into the spotlight, with questions raised about what is best practice for fire crews. 

Last month, as reported by Drive, it was revealed that New South Wales fire and rescue workers will be required to complete special training on how to respond to blazes sparked by lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.

The training program – developed by TAFE NSW and Fire and Rescue NSW – will aim to teach participants how to identify and reduce risks of fires from electric cars, as well as how to extinguish the flames if the battery ignites.

From 2010 to June 2023, EV FireSafe recorded 393 verified passenger electric vehicle battery fires across the world, of which only four were in Australia.

One was linked to arson and the other three vehicles were parked in structures which burned down.

At present the Lucid Air is only sold in left-hand-drive markets, with no immediate Australian arrival on the cards.

Last year, CEO Peter Rawlinson told Auto Express he would like to expand into right-hand-drive markets such as the UK and Australia, but it would not happen any earlier than 2025 due to “engineering priorities”.