Tauranga EV truck fire under investigation
Anderson said an aerial fire truck from the Mount Maunganui fire station joined the other crews at 8.22pm.
'Our crews started heading home about 10pm and we had one remain on scene until 4am, cooling the truck. The fire is extinguished.'
A fire investigator also attended on Saturday night and returned today.
The electric truck caught fire while parked at the ChargeNet charging site in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark.
'ChargeNet can confirm that at approximately 4.50pm on the 3 May 2025, a fire occurred involving an EV truck at our Bethlehem charging site,' a ChargeNet spokesperson said.
'The charger was quickly disconnected from the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely, and no injuries have been reported.'
ChargeNet said the Bethlehem charging site has been temporarily shut down.
'Emergency services responded promptly and removed the vehicle at around 4am this morning.
'Our technical team is working closely with emergency services and onsite personnel to support their response and undertake a thorough assessment.'
ChargeNet said initial indications suggest the vehicle involved was a custom-built electric truck.
'The safety of our customers, partners, and the public is our highest priority,' a ChargeNet spokesperson said.
'We are in direct contact with the vehicle's owner and will continue to assist Fire and Emergency New Zealand and other relevant authorities as needed.
'Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.'
EV FireSafe director Emma Sutcliffe said electric truck battery fires are rare, with just 13 such incidents verified globally.
'When they do occur, the leading cause is manufacturing faults that can trigger a chemical process called thermal runaway, which is extremely difficult to control in large battery packs,' Sutcliffe said.
'The safest response is often to allow the pack to burn out while protecting nearby structures.'
EV FireSafe is an Australian company funded by the Australian Department of Defence, specialising in EV battery fire research and emergency response — particularly when EVs are charging.
Global and NZ data from EV FireSafe and Drive Electric
Global and NZ data shared by EV FireSafe and Drive Electric show that EV battery fires are rare with 510 globally between 2010–2024, across about 40 million EVs.
EVs are less likely to catch fire than petrol/diesel vehicles. Data from Norway shows that there is a 0.005 per cent fire rate for EVs versus a 0.03 per cent fire rate for ICE vehicles.
Most EV fires don't involve the battery. Data collected from the Netherlands shows that only 38 per cent (2022) and 25 per cent (2023) involved battery ignition.
Charging-related fires are also uncommon with less than 15 per cent of EV battery fires happening while charging. This means that charging is not always the cause.
New Zealand has had six recorded EV fire incidents with no reported injuries, fatalities, or confirmed cases involving charging.
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