Seoul, Aug 9
Over a week has passed since a spontaneous Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fire ended up sparking an EV fire scare in South Korea, but the local unit of the German automotive giant has barely made an earnest gesture to address the issue at hand.
Mercedes-Benz Korea’s lax handling of the situation is raising questions over the crisis response capacity of the company. It is also potentially risking brand reputation in a market where it has enjoyed stable sales growth throughout the years, reports Yonhap news agency.
Public concerns over EV safety have mounted in the country after a spontaneous fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz EV ended up obliterating an entire parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kms west of Seoul, while either completely destroying or damaging over 100 cars.
Hundreds of apartment residents still remain in temporary shelters due to a disruption in the water and power supply. Following the incident, the company issued a short statement stating that it was sorry that the accident occurred and that it "will immediately investigate the vehicle thoroughly in cooperation with authorities."
Since then, a week has passed and Mercedes-Benz Korea has not made a single update in response to media queries, while the press, automotive industry watchers and experts have raised various reports and issues involving EV battery safety risks.
A police forensic investigation was carried out earlier this week, but it was unclear whether someone at Mercedes-Benz Korea participated. Company's media representatives declined to comment when asked to verify the matter.
What comes as perplexing is the fact that Mathias Vaitl, CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz Korea, remains overseas on a business trip -- not having returned even after a week since the debacle occurred involving one of his company's vehicles in South Korea.
According to sources, Lee stated that given the significant damage caused by the fire, Vaitl should return at the earliest possible time to hold a meeting with the affected community. Company officials replied that the CEO plans to shorten his trip, which was initially set to last until Aug. 20.
They also reportedly expressed their intent to promptly meet with the apartment complex residents to listen to concerns and review relief support efforts but stopped short of making any concrete commitments.
Mercedes-Benz Korea's stance comes in stark contrast to a voluntary decision by local lender Hana Bank to open up its in-house education campus in the area to be used for emergency relief for the affected residents.
To be clear, while CCTV footage showed the idly parked Mercedes vehicle burst into flames without any external shock, investigative authorities have yet to reach a conclusion on the exact cause of the fire.
Also, it has been reported that the water sprinkler system at the parking garage apparently did not work at the time, which presumably may have exacerbated the damage from what could have been smaller in scope.
Still, residents have expressed frustration that Mercedes-Benz Korea at the moment appears to be more focused on trying to avoid showing any signs of legal liability -- especially after reports of the purported water sprinkler malfunction -- instead of making the slightest of gestures toward relief support.
Mercedes-Benz Korea declined to comment on the details of the battery cells in the vehicle. Since the accident, calls for mandatory disclosure of EV battery brand information have grown in South Korea.
