Tauranga electric truck fire under investigation

Fire crews working at the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday.

A fire investigator has returned to the scene of an electric truck fire last night in Tauranga.

The fire in Bethlehem Town Centre was reported at 4.50pm and was attended by more than 20 firefighters from the Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Greerton stations.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Northern shift manager Michael Anderson said a crew remained at the scene overnight.

Fire crews working at the scene of the electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre, Tauranga on Saturday.

“We maintained the scene until 4am, when it was given back to the owners,” Anderson said.

Anderson said an aerial fire truck from the Mount Maunganui fire station joined the other crews at 8.22pm.

“Our crews started heading home about 10pm and we had one remain on scene until 4am, cooling the truck. The fire is extinguished.”

Police keeping bystanders away from the scene. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

A fire investigator also attended on Saturday night and returned today.

The electric truck caught fire while parked at the ChargeNet charging site in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark.

The scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre.

“ChargeNet can confirm that at approximately 4.50pm ... a fire occurred involving an EV [electric vehicle] truck at our Bethlehem charging site,” ChargeNet said in a statement.

“The charger was quickly disconnected from the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely and no injuries have been reported.”

The electric truck on fire. Photo / Therese Hamahona

ChargeNet said the Bethlehem charging site has been temporarily shut down.

“Emergency services responded promptly and removed the vehicle at around 4am this morning.

“Our technical team is working closely with emergency services and on-site personnel to support their response and undertake a thorough assessment.”

Fire crews worked to put the electric truck fire out.

ChargeNet said initial indications suggest the vehicle involved was a custom-built electric truck.

“The safety of our customers, partners and the public is our highest priority,” it said.

“We are in direct contact with the vehicle’s owner and will continue to assist Fire and Emergency New Zealand and other relevant authorities as needed.

“Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”

The batteries of the electric truck caught on fire, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

EV FireSafe director Emma Sutcliffe said electric truck battery fires are rare, with just 13 such incidents verified globally.

“When they do occur, the leading cause is manufacturing faults that can trigger a chemical process called thermal runaway, which is extremely difficult to control in large battery packs,” Sutcliffe said.

“The safest response is often to allow the pack to burn out while protecting nearby structures.”

A fire crew stayed overnight at the Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

EV FireSafe is an Australian company funded by the Australian Department of Defence, specialising in EV battery fire research and emergency response – particularly when EVs are charging.

Global and NZ data from EV FireSafe and Drive Electric

Global and New Zealand data shared by EV FireSafe and Drive Electric show that EV battery fires are rare, with 510 globally between 2010–2024, across about 40 million EVs.

EVs are less likely to catch fire than petrol/diesel vehicles. Data from Norway shows that there is a 0.005% fire rate for EVs versus a 0.03% fire rate for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Bethlehem Rd was blocked for hours on Saturday night while fire crews worked at the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre, Tauranga on Saturday, May 3. Photo/Supplied.

Most EV fires don’t involve the battery. Data collected from the Netherlands shows that only 38% (2022) and 25% (2023) involved battery ignition.

Charging-related fires are also uncommon with less than 15% of EV battery fires happening while charging. This means that charging is not always the cause.

New Zealand has had six recorded EV fire incidents with no reported injuries, fatalities or confirmed cases involving charging.