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December 13, 2021

InnoTrans Podcast: Batteries as a fire hazard – recognising and managing the risks

Battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems are among those posing new fire safety challenges for rail transport. In the InnoTrans Podcast Roger Dirksmeier, managing director of FOGTEC, explains how the rail industry must adapt its firefighting measures. The episode will be aired on 14 December 2021.

In recent years the general approach to safety has fundamentally changed. A number of train accidents such as the fire in 2000 in the mountain rail tunnel linking Kitzsteinhorn contributed significantly to this. “It is important to look at fire safety as an integrated system and not simply at its individual parts. That is more efficient and ultimately improves safety”, says Roger Dirksmeier.

In the Podcast, the fire safety expert will explain the new infrastructures that battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems require. Even an e-bike connected to a charging point on a train could cause a major fire. FOGTEC has examined how to effectively combat battery fires in numerous tests under real-life conditions.

The digital transformation also opens up new possibilities for fire safety, for instance in maintenance, and at the same time raises new questions: who owns the data?

You can find all the episodes of the InnoTrans Podcast here. Additional information on these episodes is available on our social media channels (LinkedIn and on Twitter under @InnoTrans) as well as in our InnoTrans blog.

The next episode of the InnoTrans Podcast will be aired on 11 January 2022.

About InnoTrans

InnoTrans is the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology and takes place every two years in Berlin. At the last event 3,062 exhibitors from 61 countries presented the global rail industry’s innovations to 153,421 trade visitors who came from 149 countries. The five segments at InnoTrans are Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure, Public Transport, Interiors and Tunnel Construction. InnoTrans is organised by Messe Berlin. The thirteenth edition of InnoTrans will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 20 to 23 September 2022. More details are available online at www.innotrans.com.