The recent explosion of a Mercedes-Benz electric automobile in Incheon, South Korea, has increased public anxiety about the security of battery-powered vehicles.

Over 200 families were left without a place to live for several weeks, and 23 people were admitted to hospitals due to smoke inhalation. The fire began in July when an unplugged electrical sedan exploded in an underground condominium parking complex. This caused other surrounding cars to catch fire. According to the authorities, the fire took nearly eight hours to be extinguished.

Since then, Electronic Vehicles (EVs) have been the subject of considerable worry, phenomena that the local media has called "EV phobia." The majority of residential complexes in the nation have posted warnings to EV owners cautioning them to charge their vehicles carefully; some have even outright prohibited EVs from parking or entering.

The government introduced a set of measures last week to calm public fears, one of which required automakers to reveal the brand of batteries that powers their vehicles.

Despite the fact that batteries are an essential part of electric vehicles and can present significant safety hazards if improperly produced or handled, automakers have up to now maintained the privacy of their battery suppliers, both in Korea and internationally.

The dramatic fire startled the Korean public during a regrettable moment when the rise of EV sales is slowing down globally. The government's initiatives to increase the number of environmentally friendly vehicles on the road and improve the nation's infrastructure for charging them are also being hampered by the general anti-EV sentiment.

Based on data from the transportation ministry, the country's EV sector had been expanding quickly prior to the incident and accounted for more over 9% of new automobile registrations last year. However, following the July event, August EV sales declined for most automakers.