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Organizers of the MotoE World Cup confirmed that a short circuit ignited the batteries.
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The huge fire destroyed at the temporary storage, MotoE bikes and equipment at the Jerez Circuit.
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The fire cancels the remaining pre-season tests and first round in May.
Organizers of the MotoE World Cup confirmed that a short circuit ignited the batteries which consequently led to a huge fire at the Jerez, Circuit in Spain.
The fire broke out around midnight, destroyed all 18 Energica Ego race bikes, equipment, tools and riders’ gear and kits. They were stored in a temporary paddock for the 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cupt pre-season tests.
The grid includes the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) team.
The first round of the inaugural championship which is slated to take place from 3rd to 5th May is cancelled. Thankfully, the championship is still on for the year.
Local police are still investigating the fire but announced that it was caused by a short circuit. The short then ignited the high-density battery, which is a part of the high-performance charger used in MotoE. However, that caused the short was not confirmed.
Short circuits cause a suddenly rise in temperature leading to thermal runaway for the lithium batteries. Consequently, a chain reaction leads to the breakdown of the system’s thermal balance and fire.
The bikes were not connected to the charging infrastructure when the fire broke out.
