Taiwan electric vehicle catches fire, driver, 40, trapped inside & dies

The 40-year-old driver of an electric vehicle died in Taiwan's northwestern Hsinchu County after his vehicle caught fire on Sep. 4, 2026.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the driver, Huang, was found dead and badly burnt when firefighters arrived at the scene.

Car caught fire

According to China Press, the fire department received a report about the fire at 2:05pm that day.

Mirror Media reported that a total of seven vehicles, 14 personnel and six volunteers were dispatched to the scene.

The vehicle was already engulfed in flames when they arrived, after which they completely extinguished the fire at 2:37pm.

However, there was reportedly a risk of reignition since electric vehicles use lithium batteries, where thermal runaway could occur — the battery could still continue to generate intense heat, China Press reported.

As such, the firefighters set up water barriers and poured water on the vehicle to cool it.

Mirror Media reported that preliminary police investigations have ruled out homicide.

The fire department and police are still investigating the cause of the sudden fire, and why Huang had not been able to escape the vehicle.