EV-X: contain the battery, not just the flame
A four-component portable kit, independently fire-tested by DBI. After your fixed system knocks the fire down, two crew wrap the vehicle and flood a patent-pending barrier until the battery is submerged — eliminating reignition with about 3.5 tonnes of contained water instead of up to 90,000 litres across the deck. An operational tool: no class or flag-state approval required to carry or deploy.
New to the problem? Start with why EV fires reignite at sea →
The EVstinguish EV-X System
Each component addresses one specific operational constraint of a vehicle deck: the space that actually exists, the battery rather than the flame, and the two crew who are aboard.
What EV-X is — and what it is not
EV-X is deliberately scoped. It is the containment-and-control step that conventional suppression cannot provide — not a replacement for the systems your vessel already carries.
✓ EV-X is
- A kit-based EV containment & control system for enclosed vehicle decks where cars park close together
- The step that stops reignition — by submerging the battery, not just suppressing the flame
- Deployable by two crew in under 10 minutes, with no structural change to the vessel
- Used after initial suppression — the watermist lance and your fixed system come first
- An operational tool (comparable to PPE) — reusable, stored in a fire locker
✗ EV-X is not
- A replacement for SOLAS-required fixed suppression systems
- A fire blanket — DBI, FRSI and NFPA warn blankets can trap explosive gas; EV-X vents upward through its open top
- An installed system — no class or flag-state approval is required to procure or deploy it
- Designed for buses or vehicles over 5.2 m
- A source of new SMS obligations — it adds one step, it does not rewrite your procedures
How the EV-X is deployed on a vehicle deck
Photographs from live EVstinguish testing — two crew, standard breathing apparatus, and the same kit a vessel keeps in its locker. No fire brigade, no shore support.
Knock down the flames and make the vehicle safe to approach
The Water Mist Lance throws a fine, high-momentum mist that drops the surface heat and beats back open flame — turning an unapproachable fire into a vehicle the crew can actually work on. This is the prerequisite for everything that follows.
- ~90 L/min at 8 BAR — no specialist nozzle training required
- PE-coated shaft guards against electric shock at the battery
Stop thermal runaway at its source — inside the battery
The lance penetrates the battery casing and injects cooling water directly into the cell pack until every surface drops below 60 °C. Cooling the cells from within is the only known way to actually halt thermal runaway — not merely hide its flame.
- Cools the pack below the 60 °C runaway threshold
- Runs off standard 200 / 300 BAR cylinders already aboard
Submerge the battery and eliminate reignition for good
The EV-X Barrier wraps the whole vehicle and is flooded with ~3.5 tonnes of water, fully submerging the battery pack. Reignition risk is permanently removed and the toxic HF gas released during the process is absorbed into the contained water volume.
- Tested in as little as 40 cm side / 20 cm end clearance
- All water stays inside the barrier — no flooded deck
A full-scale fire test, run by DBI
Independent fire test
On 28 November 2025, DBI — the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology, an internationally recognised fire-safety research institute — ran a full-scale EV fire test of the EV-X system on a simulated ferry deck (report DBI-AFE-EaT-SIXC25005). A real Fisker Ocean 1 with a 113 kWh CATL LFP battery was driven into thermal runaway as vehicle 5 of 9, boxed in by eight cars at ferry-deck spacing — as little as 20 cm at the ends.
Even in a worst case — the battery ruptured during the fire, exposing sharp metal edges — two crew deployed and filled the barrier in 55 minutes. After 72 hours submerged there were no leaks and the battery's state of charge was near zero (highest cell 70.9 mV), so DBI deemed the reignition risk null. The full report and video are available for underwriter, P&I and flag-state review through SepcoTech.
Conventional methods vs EV-X
From the full-scale DBI fire test and EVstinguish technical data.
| Measure | Conventional methods | EVstinguish EV-X |
|---|---|---|
| Water required | Up to 90,000 litres, applied to deck | ~3.5 tonnes, contained in barrier |
| Time to containment | Up to 24 hours | 2–3 hours |
| Reignition risk eliminated | No — battery remains active | Yes — full submersion confirmed |
| HF gas neutralised | Not addressed | Water absorption confirmed |
| Deployment time (2 crew) | Variable / hours | Under 10 minutes |
| Side clearance required | Requires significant open space | 40 cm sides / 20 cm ends |
| Cargo-shift risk on a PCTC | High — water distributes across deck | Minimal — fully contained barrier |
| Independent evidence | — | Full-scale DBI fire test |
The full-scale test, on video
Footage published by EVstinguish — the EV-X barrier under a full-scale fire test, and the barrier installation two crew complete on a vehicle deck in minutes.
EV-X barrier — full-scale test
EV-X barrier installation
The system. The tests. The conditions.
Real photographs from EVstinguish independent testing and live demonstrations — including the full-scale DBI fire test in a simulated ferry environment.
Engineered around the constraints of each vessel type
The operational risks and physical constraints of an EV fire differ on a ferry, a PCTC and a RoRo vessel. The EV-X addresses each specifically.
Ferries & RoPax vessels
Mixed vehicles and passengers on the same deck. The primary concern is speed of response and elimination of reignition before passengers disembark and remaining vehicles are driven off.
- Response before thermal cascade — under 10 minutes
- Reignition eliminated — remaining vehicles driven off safely
- Works in as little as 20 cm end clearance
Car carriers (PCTC)
Thousands of vehicles on large undivided decks, where water applied to the deck reduces tyre-to-deck friction and risks cargo shift. EV-X confines the entire water volume inside the barrier.
- All water contained — no free deck water
- Eliminates cargo-shift and vessel-list risk
- Aligned with IUMI “fixed first” guidance
RoRo cargo vessels
Commercial EVs, electric trucks and heavy plant in enclosed tunnels and lower decks, where access is challenging and fixed systems often cannot reach the battery pack itself.
- Deployable wherever crew can physically reach
- Narrower than a person in transit — fits any access route
- 2 crew, under 10 minutes to full deployment
EV-X specifications
Barrier and lance figures as recorded in the DBI test report and EVstinguish technical data.
EV-X containment barrier
- Deployed size
- 5.2 × 2.2 × 1.1 m
- Weight
- 28 kg
- Volume
- 12.5 m³
- Material
- 680 g/m² PVC-coated polyester
- Puncture layer
- Silicone-coated woven fibreglass
- Temp. resistance
- 250 °C cont. / 900 °C peak
- Flame spread
- <100 mm/min (ISO 2411:2017)
- Fits vehicles
- 2.7 – 5.2 m length
Water, lifting & deployment
- Water fill (typical SUV)
- ~3.5 tonnes
- Water connection
- Storz-C, 5 bar max inlet
- Lifting bags
- 3 × 8-bar flat, CE / EN 13731
- Clearance to lift
- 2.5 cm undercarriage
- Deck clearance needed
- 40 cm sides / 20 cm ends
- Lashing straps
- 8 ×, EN 12195-2 (8.5 kg total)
- Crew & time
- 2 crew, <10 min (normal)
- Watermist lance
- 90 L/min @ 8 bar, SS 316 nozzle
Reusable after deployment · HF-acid resistant · saltwater works (and is preferred) · one EV-X unit per vehicle deck recommended · barrier service life 10 years, lifting bags 15 years.
Defensible before an incident — and after one
For technical managers, DPAs and procurement, the question is not only whether EV-X works. It is how carrying it changes your position before investigators, underwriters and flag-state authorities.
No class or flag-state approval
EV-X is an operational tool, not an installed safety system, so it needs no class society or flag-state approval to procure or deploy. The lifting bags are CE-marked (EN 13731).
One step, no SMS rewrite
It adds a single action after initial suppression — install the barrier to prevent reignition. Existing fire procedures are unchanged; noting EV-X in the fire manual is recommended practice.
An audit trail by design
Adoption produces risk-assessment records, the DBI test verification, crew-training certificates and drill logs — ready for SMS audit files and P&I documentation packages.
Within the master's authority
Deployment sits inside existing emergency-officer authority — no new approval chain before use. Free e-learning is included; certified training was specifically requested by insurers in review.
How to buy the EV-X
SepcoTech is the official distributor. Pricing is quoted per vessel because deck count, water supply and training scope differ.
ShipServ
SepcoTech TradeNet — TN 317545
Send an RFQ to TN 317545 on ShipServ, or request a vessel-specific review below and we'll quote against your deck layout. One EV-X unit per vehicle deck is the recommended provision. The kit is reusable, stored in a fire locker, and carries a barrier service life of 10 years (lifting bags 15 years). Free e-learning is included with every unit; certified crew training is available on request. Manufactured by EVstinguish ApS, Denmark.
What operators ask before evaluating EV-X
Background questions — thermal runaway, reignition, why blankets fail, where regulation is heading — are answered on the EV Fire Safety page.
Can EV-X stop thermal runaway or extinguish the fire?
Does adopting EV-X change our SMS or create new compliance obligations?
Will the crew be able to use it under the stress of a real incident?
Will it fit in the clearance we actually have on deck?
How much water does it use, and does it flood the deck?
What vehicles does it fit?
Request a vessel-specific technical review
A review assesses your deck layout, clearances, water supply and SMS fit — a
due-diligence step, not a purchase commitment. You can also request the full DBI test report and video.
Prefer to talk? Email tech@sepcotech.com for quotes and technical questions
· +45 6916 2400 · ShipServ TN 317545
Request sent
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Related reading
EV fire safety at sea
Thermal runaway, the 72-hour reignition window, and why suppression alone never finishes the job.
EV fire on passenger ferries
Why reignition uncertainty — not the flame — is the threat to passengers and schedules.
EV fire on car carriers
Density, stability and contained resolution without flooding the deck or diverting.