Electric Vehicle Fire Scenarios as an Emerging Challenge for the Fire Resistance Design of Reinforced Concrete Beams

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely recognized as a key strategy for improving global sustainability; however, their implications for building safety, particularly under fire conditions, require further investigation. This study examines the structural response of reinforced concrete (RC) beams exposed to EV fire scenarios, which are characterized by more severe thermal demands than the ISO 834 standard fire curve adopted in structural fire design, including EN 1992-1-2. A coupled thermal–mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) was performed on nine RC beams, considering variations in reinforcement layout, rebar diameter, and concrete cover thickness. When compared with fire resistance times predicted by standardized design procedures, the numerical results indicate that EV fires accelerate building damage by up to 27% within the first 60 min of exposure. Increasing the concrete cover to at least 30 mm and adopting multiple reinforcement layers were shown to enhance fire performance by reducing heat transfer to the steel reinforcement and lowering stress levels within the cross section. The findings demonstrate that current fire design provisions may underestimate the structural demands imposed by EV fire scenarios. Consequently, this study highlights the need to revise fire resistance criteria and reinforcement detailing rules to ensure adequate safety and resilience of RC structures in sustainable built environments subjected to emerging EV fire hazards.