Your Diesel Fire Safety Plan Will Not Protect an Electric Fleet Depot
The UK logistics and haulage sector is electrifying faster than its fire safety frameworks are keeping pace. The UK government has committed all new HGVs under 26 tonnes to be zero emission by 2035, and all new HGVs of any weight to be zero emission by 2040. The government’s £318 million Green Freight Package including a £170 million Depot Charging Scheme and up to £1 million per operator for charging infrastructure is accelerating that transition right now.
At the end of September 2025, there were already 1,313 registered electric heavy goods vehicles on UK roads. <cite index=”30″>The UK had approximately 88,000 public EV chargers by the end of 2025, with around 10% located on key en-route corridors essential for long-haul freight.</cite> Depot-based charging for overnight fleet parking is expanding rapidly.
The fire risk is expanding with it.
Global insurance broker WTW has warned that the growing adoption of electric HGVs could expose operators to significantly higher insurance and business continuity costs unless steps are taken to address the risks associated with large lithium batteries Fire specialists at QBE European Operations have confirmed that where electric vehicles are parked less than one metre apart, there is no realistic chance of stopping fire propagation once thermal runaway takes hold.
For logistics and haulage operators across the UK, this is not a future risk to plan for. It is a current operational reality that demands specialist fire safety expertise.
Fire and Safety UK delivers EV fire safety consultancy, risk assessments, and advanced suppression systems specifically designed for logistics and haulage environments. This guide covers what you need to know.
Why EV Fire Risk in Logistics Is Different From Every Other Sector
The Scale of Battery Energy in Commercial Fleets Is Not Comparable to Passenger EVs
A passenger EV battery pack typically holds between 50 and 100 kWh of energy. An electric HGV battery such as the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 carries a 600 kWh+ pack. That is six to twelve times the energy density of a car battery, contained within a vehicle parked in an enclosed depot alongside dozens of other vehicles, charged simultaneously overnight.
The consequence severity of a thermal runaway event in this environment is categorically different from a passenger EV fire in a public car park. Electrification of electric buses and heavy-duty trucks changes the risk profile not by increasing fire frequency but by raising consequence severity when failures occur, with aging fleets, high-utilisation duty cycles, and infrastructure stress as the dominant variables shaping EV fire risk.</cite>
Overnight Depot Charging Is the Highest-Risk Scenario
Commercial delivery fleets face elevated charging-related fire risk due to overnight depot charging and infrastructure shortcuts. This is the dominant operating model for UK logistics and haulage. Vehicles return to depot, plug in simultaneously, charge through the night when staff are absent or minimal, and are expected to be road-ready by the morning shift.
This combination high energy loads, simultaneous charging, low supervision, enclosed spaces creates a fire risk profile that existing depot fire safety systems were not designed to address.
Standard Fire Safety Systems Are Not Equipped for Lithium Battery Events
The fire suppression and detection systems installed in the vast majority of UK logistics depots were specified for diesel vehicle environments. They were not designed to respond to thermal runaway events in lithium-ion battery packs. Fire brigades attending such incidents often focus on securing the area and preventing spread rather than directly suppressing the battery fire, due to the dangers posed to crews by thermal runaway gases and reignition risk.
Onsite suppression must be capable of containing the initial event. Waiting for the fire brigade is not an adequate fire safety strategy in a high-density EV depot.
The Scale of Electrification Across UK Logistics and Haulage
| Metric | Data | Source |
| Electric HGVs registered in UK (Sept 2025) | 1,313 | Flexible Power Systems |
| Government funding Green Freight Package | £318 million | Department for Transport |
| Depot Charging Scheme maximum per operator | Up to £1 million | DfT / Edie |
| Zero-emission HGV target under 26t | 2035 | UK Government |
| Zero-emission HGV target all weights | 2040 | UK Government |
| EV car fires rise 2022–2024 | +77% | QBE / FOI data |
| UK lithium-ion battery fires per day (2025) | 3+ | QBE Insurance |
| Average major fire cost to UK business | £657,074 | Fire Marshal Training |
| Industrial/warehouse fires as share of all workplace fires | ~25% | Home Office FIRE0301 |
Key EV Fire Risks Every UK Logistics Operator Must Assess
Thermal Runaway in Large-Format Battery Packs
Thermal runaway is the electrochemical chain reaction at the core of every serious EV battery fire. A single failing cell generates heat and flammable gases that accelerate the failure of neighbouring cells. Once initiated, the process is self-sustaining generating its own fuel and oxygen and cannot be stopped by conventional suppression methods.
For logistics operators, the risk is concentrated at the point of charging. Battery management systems can fail to detect early-stage thermal events, and the overnight charging window provides no immediate human response capability. The scale of battery packs in commercial vehicles means that a single thermal runaway event can consume a vehicle entirely and propagate to adjacent units within minutes.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Fire Propagation in Dense Depot Parking
Fire safety specialists have confirmed that where electric vehicles are parked less than one metre apart, there is no chance of stopping fire propagation once thermal runaway takes hold. The parking layouts used in UK logistics depots optimised for capacity and operational efficiency routinely place vehicles in precisely this configuration.
This means a single EV fire event can become a multi-vehicle incident before any suppression system activates and before any emergency service arrives on site. The financial and operational consequences are potentially catastrophic:warehouses that do not recover within one month of a serious fire have an 80% chance of permanent closure.
Overloaded Electrical Infrastructure
The electrical infrastructure installed in most UK logistics depots was designed for a diesel fleet. Electric HGV batteries often exceed 600 kWh and require ultra-rapid charging, demanding 700 kW or more of capacity, which in turn requires significant grid reinforcement. Operators installing EV charging without commissioning an electrical infrastructure assessment risk overloading circuits, creating fault conditions, and introducing the single largest identifiable cause of UK workplace fires. Electrical distribution faults are the leading identifiable cause of workplace fires overall, accounting for 18% of all incidents, and are particularly significant in logistics settings given the sustained high electrical loads involved.
Absence of EV-Specific Detection and Suppression
Most logistics depots rely on overhead sprinkler systems or dry powder extinguisher banks that were specified for diesel fuel and general warehouse fire risks. Neither is effective against a lithium battery thermal runaway event. Water-based overhead systems cannot deliver sufficient cooling to the battery pack to interrupt the electrochemical process. Dry powder suppresses surface flames but does not prevent reignition from within the cell.
Without EV-specific detection and suppression systems at vehicle or bay level, a depot’s fire protection is materially inadequate for its current operating environment.
Your Legal Obligations as a UK Logistics Operator with EV Infrastructure
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
UK logistics operators as employers responsible for non-domestic premises are legally required to carry out and maintain a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). This applies across England and Wales. Similar obligations apply under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for operators based in or operating from Scotland.
The RRO places a duty on the responsible person to review and update the fire risk assessment whenever significant changes are made to the premises, its use, or the activities carried out. Installing EV charging infrastructure and transitioning vehicles to electric power constitutes exactly this kind of material change. An operator who fails to commission an updated EV fire risk assessment following fleet electrification may be in breach of their legal duty.
PAS 1899 EV Charging Infrastructure Safety
PAS 1899, published by the British Standards Institution, is the UK’s primary specification for EV charging infrastructure. It covers installation safety, equipment standards, and risk management for the interaction between charging equipment and the built environment. Logistics operators specifying depot charging infrastructure should treat PAS 1899 compliance as a baseline requirement, not an optional enhancement.
Insurance Policy Validity
The increasing adoption of electric HGVs could lead to significantly higher asset and business continuity insurance costs for operators who do not take steps to address the fire hazards associated with large lithium batteries. Insurers are increasingly assessing whether logistics operators have carried out EV-specific risk assessments and installed appropriate suppression systems before agreeing policy terms or settling fire-related claims. A documented assessment from a specialist consultancy demonstrates due diligence and reduces coverage risk.
EV Fire Safety Solutions for Logistics and Haulage Depots
Fire and Safety UK provides a complete range of EV fire safety services tailored to the logistics and haulage sector. Our approach begins with assessment and ends with implementation we do not deliver recommendations without the technical capability to deliver the solutions.
EV Fire Risk Assessments for Fleet Depots
Our certified assessors carry out site-specific EV fire risk assessments that cover:
- Depot layout analysis vehicle separation distances, propagation pathways, escape routes
- Battery type and capacity profiling across the fleet
- Electrical infrastructure assessment for charging load and fault risk
- Evaluation of existing suppression and detection systems against EV-specific threats
- Compliance review against the RRO, PAS 1899, and applicable insurance requirements
- Written report with prioritised recommendations and implementation timeline
This assessment integrates with our wider fire risk assessment services, ensuring logistics operators can address EV-specific risks as part of a comprehensive site-level fire safety programme.
The Turtle Fire System for Fleet Depots
The Turtle Fire System is a purpose-designed suppression solution for EV fleet environments. It encloses an individual burning vehicle and delivers sustained, targeted water cooling directly to the battery pack interrupting the thermal runaway process at source rather than attempting overhead suppression from a distance.
For logistics depots, the Turtle system addresses the core challenge: containing a single burning vehicle before fire propagates to adjacent fleet units. It is deployed rapidly by on-site personnel, requires no fixed infrastructure modifications, and is designed for the specific battery scale and fire characteristics of commercial electric vehicles. Where multiple vehicles are parked in close proximity as is standard in UK depot operations the Turtle system provides the only realistic mechanism for containing a thermal event to a single unit.
EV FirePro Fixed Bay-Level Suppression
For new-build depots and refurbished facilities incorporating dedicated EV charging bays, EV FirePro provides a permanently installed bay-level suppression system that activates automatically on detection of a thermal event. It delivers suppression at the point of origin rather than relying on overhead systems to penetrate the vehicle structure.
EV FirePro is particularly suited to high-throughput charging facilities where the same bays are used by multiple vehicles across shifts, and where the risk of a charging event the highest-risk window in the EV fire cycle is both frequent and predictable.
Trident Synthetic Foam Concentrate
Trident is a next-generation, PFAS-free synthetic fire foam designed for lithium battery fire environments. As Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) is phased out of UK commercial use due to environmental and regulatory concerns, Trident provides a compliant, high-performance alternative for logistics operators whose fire safety plans include foam application as part of the incident response.
Trident is formulated to address the specific characteristics of lithium battery fires high heat output, reignition risk, and toxic gas generation while meeting SEPA and Environment Agency requirements for foam discharge.
Ongoing Compliance and Equipment Servicing
Alongside specialist EV fire safety, Fire and Safety UK provides full fire extinguisher commissioning and servicing to ensure your broader fire safety equipment inventory remains compliant, tested, and available. For logistics operators managing large, multi-site estates, we provide structured servicing programmes that integrate EV-specific equipment with standard compliance schedules.
How Depot Design Must Evolve for Electric Fleets
The transition to electric fleets does not simply require new vehicles and new chargers. It requires a fundamental reassessment of how depots are designed, laid out, and fire-protected. The following table sets out the key differences between a diesel depot fire safety framework and what is required for an electric fleet operation.
| Fire Safety Factor | Diesel Depot Standard | Electric Fleet Requirement |
| Fire risk assessment | General commercial premises assessment | Dedicated EV fire risk assessment covering thermal runaway, propagation, and electrical load |
| Vehicle separation | Guidance varies by insurer; often 3–6m | Minimum 1m considered critical for EV fire containment; dedicated propagation modelling recommended |
| Suppression system | Overhead sprinkler (water or foam) | Bay-level and/or vehicle-level suppression (Turtle, EV FirePro) in addition to overhead systems |
| Detection | Smoke and heat detectors | Early-warning gas detection (H2, CO) for thermal runaway precursor identification |
| Electrical infrastructure | Standard commercial supply | Assessed for EV charging load; grid reinforcement may be required |
| Emergency procedures | Standard depot evacuation plan | EV-specific incident response including reignition protocol and battery management system shutdown |
| Insurance documentation | Standard fire risk assessment | EV risk assessment plus evidence of suppression system installation |
| Staff training | General fire safety awareness | EV fire incident awareness and Turtle/suppression system operation |
Sector-Specific Considerations for UK Logistics Operators
Last-Mile Delivery and Urban Van Fleets
Urban delivery operators using electric vans including those operating in clean air zones and ULEZ areas across UK cities typically charge vehicles at leased depot facilities where electrical infrastructure and fire safety provisions were not specified with EV fleets in mind. The combination of high vehicle density, overnight charging, and premises managed under commercial lease agreements creates a common and underaddressed fire risk profile. Fire and Safety UK works with depot leaseholders and their tenants to deliver assessments and suppression solutions that satisfy both parties’ compliance obligations.
Long-Haul and Heavy Freight Operators
Electric HGV batteries often exceed 600 kWh and require ultra-rapid charging at 700 kW or more, which demands significant grid reinforcement. For long-haul operators transitioning to eHGVs under government incentive schemes, depot charging infrastructure must be assessed not only for electrical capacity but for the fire risks that high-power overnight charging introduces. The Turtle Fire System is specifically suited to depot environments where large-format battery vehicles are charged in enclosed facilities.
Third-Party Logistics and Multi-Tenant Depots
Third-party logistics providers managing multi-tenant facilities face a layered compliance challenge: they may be responsible for the premises as the landlord while tenants introduce their own EV charging equipment and fleets. A comprehensive fire risk assessment and clearly documented responsibilities between landlord and tenant are essential to avoid compliance gaps that could be exploited by insurers or enforcing authorities following an incident.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest EV fire risks for UK logistics and haulage operators?
The primary risks are thermal runaway in large-format lithium-ion battery packs during overnight depot charging, vehicle-to-vehicle fire propagation when EVs are parked less than one metre apart, overloaded electrical infrastructure that cannot safely handle simultaneous high-power charging loads, and the absence of bay-level or vehicle-level suppression systems in depots originally designed for diesel fleets.
Do logistics operators need a new fire risk assessment when adding EV charging to a depot?
Yes. The addition of EV charging infrastructure materially changes the fire risk profile of a logistics depot. A responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is legally required to review and update their fire risk assessment whenever significant changes are made to the premises, its use, or the activities carried out. EV charging represents exactly this kind of material change.
Can fire brigades suppress a lithium battery fire in a fleet depot?
Fire brigades attending an EV fire in an enclosed depot environment will often focus on containment rather than direct suppression of the battery pack, due to the dangers of thermal runaway gases and reignition risk. Specialists at QBE European Operations have confirmed that where electric vehicles are parked less than one metre apart, propagation to adjacent vehicles cannot be stopped. Onsite suppression must therefore be capable of containing the initial event before emergency services arrive.
Will my logistics fleet insurance cover EV battery fire damage?
Global insurance broker WTW has warned that the adoption of electric HGVs could expose operators to significantly higher insurance and business continuity costs if appropriate fire risk measures are not in place. Insurers are increasingly reviewing whether operators have commissioned EV-specific fire risk assessments and installed appropriate suppression before agreeing policy terms. A documented assessment from a specialist consultancy reduces coverage risk.
What suppression systems are recommended for EV fleet depots?
For logistics and haulage depots, Fire and Safety UK recommends the Turtle Fire System for contained suppression of individual burning vehicles, EV FirePro bay-level fixed suppression for permanent charging bay installations, and Trident synthetic foam concentrate as an AFFF replacement where foam application forms part of the response plan. The right combination depends on depot layout, vehicle type, and charging configuration.
What is the fire separation distance required between electric HGVs in a depot?
Fire safety specialists at QBE European Operations have stated that electric vehicles parked less than one metre apart present no realistic chance of stopping fire propagation once thermal runaway occurs. For logistics operators managing high-density EV parking, bay-level suppression systems and revised parking layouts are essential components of any credible depot fire safety strategy.
How do I arrange an EV fire safety assessment for my logistics depot?
Contact Fire and Safety UK at support@fasukfiregroup.co.uk or call 01383 601007. The team will review your depot layout, vehicle mix, current fire safety measures, and charging infrastructure before scheduling a site visit and delivering a written report with prioritised recommendations.
The UK Logistics Sector Cannot Afford to Run Ahead of Its Fire Safety
Fleet electrification is not optional. The regulatory direction of travel, the government incentive structure, and the competitive pressure of clean air zone compliance are all pointing in one direction. UK logistics and haulage operators are electrifying and the pace is accelerating.
What is optional is whether that transition is managed safely or not. The gap between diesel-era fire safety and the realities of electric fleet operations is not a minor technical detail. It is a material compliance failure that carries legal, financial, and human consequences.
Fire and Safety UK provides specialist EV fire safety consultancy to logistics and haulage operators across the United Kingdom. Our assessors understand the specific risks of commercial fleet environments, our product portfolio is designed for those environments, and our approach is grounded in practical implementation rather than generic recommendations.
Contact us today to arrange your depot EV fire risk assessment.