The insurance company State Farm has decided to ban all charging stations at the company's addresses in the United States. Now the stands must be removed so that the employees can no longer charge.
A major insurance company has decided to remove charging stations from its parking garages across the United States.
The reason is concern for fire safety. The company is now investigating alternative charging options for its employees with electric cars and promises to announce more when a plan is in place.
The decision affects the company's headquarters and various offices throughout the country. The deadline for removing the charging stations is set for October 28, giving employees who rely on charging in the parking garages less than a month to find a new outlet.
In a notice to employees, the insurance company writes that:
"While we understand the consequences our decision has for those who rely on electric car charging, it is our highest priority to ensure a safe and secure working environment for our employees.
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"Following a risk assessment and evaluations by local fire authorities and occupational health organizations at each headquarters and office, fire risks have been identified in the parking garages that cannot be remedied at this time."
"Charging stations currently located in our parking garages will be closed. There are plans to investigate alternative charging locations outside the parking garages, including the possibility of parking spaces specifically for electric cars. We will announce relevant updates when these plans are finalized," reads the.
The insurance company believes that moving charging stations to outdoor parking lots is a safer solution, as it minimizes the potential threat to other vehicles and buildings.
Fires in electric cars have been a controversial topic in recent years due to some sensational cases around the world.
While studies show that electric cars are statistically less likely to catch fire than traditional petrol, diesel or hybrid cars, once they ignite their batteries can be a nightmare to extinguish.
Each individual cell can ignite separately, requiring specialized techniques and large amounts of water to extinguish. The notion of an electric car fire raging in a closed parking garage is not reassuring. In fact, it happened as recently as this year in South Korea. Read more about it here .
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