An electric SUV catches fire after a brutal collision with a truck: its 3 occupants emerge unharmed and the battery remains intact

A severe traffic accident that occurred in China has tested the safety of a next-generation electric SUV. A heavy truck collided violently with the rear of a parked vehicle, causing a fire that damaged its body. However, the three occupants managed to exit the car unharmed, and according to the manufacturer, the high-voltage battery remained intact despite the flames.

The incident occurred on October 28th last in Taizhou, a city located in China’s Zhejiang province. The vehicle involved was an Epicland X9, an extended-range electric SUV developed jointly by Dongfeng and Huawei. Images shared on social media show the back of the car engulfed in flames with a thick column of black smoke, a situation that quickly raised many questions about the durability of its batteries and the vehicle’s safety systems.

In response to the accident, Epicland’s general manager, Zeng Qinglin, issued a statement on China’s Weibo social media platform to explain what happened. According to his account, the SUV was completely stationary when it was hit from behind by a dump truck carrying a heavy load and traveling at high speed. Although the exact speed of the industrial vehicle was not disclosed, the impact was severe enough to cause damage to the back of the car.

One of the most significant aspects was the response of the safety systems immediately after the collision. The manufacturer states that the vehicle activated its emergency call system eCall, which allowed contact with the customer to request assistance. Additionally, the doors remained functional, enabling all three occupants to open them and exit the vehicle before the fire started. “The most important thing is that everyone is safe,” said Zeng Qinglin, confirming that none of the passengers were injured.

The SUV began to catch fire after the accident, but the battery withstood the flames.

The fire did not start immediately after the collision. According to the company’s reconstruction, the occupants had already left the vehicle and were in a safe area when, while waiting for traffic officers to arrive, they began to notice smoke coming from the back. Shortly after, flames appeared, eventually causing a fire that was visible in the images released. Firefighters arrived at the scene and managed to extinguish the fire.

The biggest surprise came when emergency teams were able to inspect the vehicle after putting out the fire. According to Epicland’s general manager, the high-voltage battery remained intact despite the force of the impact and the fire. The brand’s representative accompanied his statements with a photograph of the battery pack, though no independent technical report has been released yet to determine its internal condition or accurately assess all the damage sustained.

There is also an important technical detail to understand what happened. The Epicland X9 is not a fully electric car, but an extended-range electric vehicle, known as EREV. Its propulsion system combines electric motors with a gasoline engine that functions as a generator to increase range. This means it has both a high-capacity battery and a fuel tank along with a fuel system, elements that also need to be investigated to determine the cause of the fire. So far, it has not been officially confirmed which component started burning.

A 5.30-meter SUV developed with Huawei and equipped with CATL batteries

The vehicle involved in the accident is one of the latest releases from China’s automotive industry. The Epicland X9 hit the market on September 24th as the first model from a new brand developed by Dongfeng and Huawei. It is a 5.30-meter-long SUV with three rows of seats and seating capacity for six passengers, equipped with Huawei’s driving assistance technologies and an 800-volt electric architecture.

In terms of energy, the model uses lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries supplied by CATL, the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles. Depending on the version, it has capacities of approximately 51.5 and 74.3 kWh, with an announced electric range of up to 465 kilometers under the Chinese CLTC cycle. The manufacturer also highlights its battery structural protection system, designed to reduce the risk of damage and thermal spread in the event of an accident.

The resistance of the battery pack is particularly important because one of the main safety challenges in electric vehicles is preventing a severe collision from causing internal damage that could lead to a thermal leak. However, the fact that the battery did not catch fire in this accident does not by itself prove it was completely free of damage, nor does it allow us to generalize the outcome to other accidents. It will be necessary to wait for the results of the investigation to determine exactly what caused the flames.

For now, Epicland has confirmed that it is in contact with the vehicle owner and will cooperate in the aftermath of the accident. The company has emphasized that the ultimate causes and determination of responsibilities must be determined by police authorities and fire services. Meanwhile, the case highlights two particularly notable facts: all three occupants were able to exit the car unharmed, and according to the manufacturer’s inspection, the battery survived a fire that affected the back of the SUV.