Revolutionary New Tech Increases EV and Hybrid Fire Safety via Identification originally appeared on Autoblog.
A simple, lasting solution to pure EV and hybrid fire identification
An expert in lithium-ion battery and hydrogen technology for land, sea, and air has spoken with Autoblog about his patent that helps first responders meet the unique challenges associated with suppressing hybrid and pure electric vehicle (EV) fires. The risk mitigation specialist, William S. Lerner, described his technology as a visual indicator identifying a vehicle’s make, model, and status. This identification is achieved through technology that can be placed on any part of a vehicle, blinking in a series of colors.
“There are those sun dots by your rearview mirror, and those sun dots are part of the windshield. The easiest way to implement my technology is to take those sun dots and to put a QR code there," Lerner said. He explained that vehicle manufacturers could call a glass manufacturer and request an embedding of the QR code that stays with the car. A first responder then uses a scanner to scan the QR code and learn everything they need to know about the vehicle. The second phase is that there could be an LED illumination backing the QR code to flash patterns signaling emergencies, like a car being in failure mode. Ultimately, the blinking lights and QR code serve different, complementary purposes. Lerner emphasized that his technology is necessary today, as it provides first responders with “information in a second,” which can help them adapt emergency protocols to the evolving landscape of diverse powertrains.
How first responders are trained to use Lerner’s identification technology
Regarding first responder education on using Lerner’s technology, the risk mitigation expert explained that workers like firefighters could receive this information through organizations, including but not limited to the International Association of Firefighters.
“If you see three flashing greens, you’ll know that’s going to be an EV. If you see flashing green, then flashing pink, then flashing red, that’s going to be a hybrid. There will be three different colors starting out," Lerner said. He added that there would also be a mild hybrid signal, and clarified that he’s aiming for simplicity rather than an inundation of information.
However, Lerner recognized that while his technology is straightforward, the nature of hybrid and pure EV fires isn’t completely understood. The inventor told Autoblog: “We don’t understand what’s released when these batteries burn. It’s a toxic mix of chemicals, of carcinogens, which include cyanide, formaldehyde, and many other chemicals we don’t understand. We don’t understand if cyanide is burning from the battery or how it mixes with the other chemicals to burn. We also have to understand that cars now have 400-500 pounds of plastic. Once you start to make a bonfire of lithium-ion and all these other chemicals, it becomes this toxic thing. We don’t have the tools to understand what the chemicals are; we don’t have the data to understand the long-term effects; we don’t have a diagnosis; we don’t have a treatment. So the most important thing you can do is to distance yourself from it until we have the data.”
Final thoughts
In our discussion, Lerner shed light on how first responder gear isn’t impervious to many of the toxic chemicals associated with hybrid and EV fires. He added that the correct processes for cleaning fire residue left on firefighters’ turnout gear after these events are another unanswered question. In turn, Lerner’s visual indicator technology enables emergency workers to quickly identify situations, allowing them to apply current best practices and improve response times while increasing safety. Lerner doesn’t take any money from first responders for his technology’s training. He’s willing to license it royalty-free to certain fire departments and government agencies, and automakers won’t have to spend anything to perform a pilot program.
Revolutionary New Tech Increases EV and Hybrid Fire Safety via Identification first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 9, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
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