Electrifying a fleet changes the fire risk profile in ways that go well beyond the vehicles themselves. You're not just managing individual cars or vans — you're managing charging infrastructure, a depot full of high-energy batteries, workshop activity, and a workforce that needs to know what to do. For fleet managers, EV fire safety becomes a planning and duty-of-care issue.

01Understand your obligations

Under work health and safety law, a person conducting a business or undertaking has duties to identify and control risks associated with lithium battery storage and charging, regardless of quantity (SafeWork NSW, 2024). Where a site holds significant quantities of lithium batteries, Fire and Rescue NSW (n.d.) sets out emergency planning expectations, including site plans identifying battery type and quantity, details of fire safety measures and containment features, and manufacturers' isolation and extinguishment recommendations. The first step for any electrifying fleet is to understand which of these obligations apply to your depot.

02Design the depot around containment

Charging infrastructure should be planned, not improvised. Concentrating many vehicles and chargers in one area concentrates the risk, so spacing, ventilation and clear separation from your only exits all matter. Fire and Rescue NSW (2025) emphasises that lithium-ion fires produce toxic gas and carry a real risk of reignition — both of which are far more dangerous in an enclosed depot than in open air. Containment equipment positioned where vehicles charge gives staff a realistic first response.

03Equip for vehicle-scale incidents

Fleet vehicles need fleet-scale equipment. The EV Fire Extinguisher 4L provides the lithium-ion rated cooling capacity appropriate to cars and vans, while a full-size EV Fire Blanket (Electric Car) delivers whole-vehicle containment in a workshop or charging bay. For depots that want a complete layered station, the EV Fire Safety Bundle — 4L Extinguisher + Heavy-Duty Blanket pairs the 4L extinguisher with a heavy-duty blanket in one package. The aim is the same as anywhere — cool the source, contain the spread — scaled to commercial vehicles.

04Train, drill and document

Equipment is only as good as the people around it. Staff should know where containment gear is, how to deploy it, and — just as importantly — when to stop and evacuate. Document your charging procedures, your emergency response, and your equipment locations, and revisit them as the fleet grows. Keeping the risk in proportion helps too: verified data continues to show EV traction-battery fires are rare relative to fleet size (EV FireSafe, n.d.). The goal is competent preparation, not fear.

Planning a depot rollout? See our fleet manager fire safety resources and the industrial EV fire solutions range.