On a new vehicle, would it more likely be a defect from a short or unsealed Li-ion?
I'm guessing more EV fires on land are a result of overcharging a weak or unbalanced cell.
Lithium by itself can break a water or CO2 molecule. LiFePO4 is the safest of the EV chemistries (though they supposedly suck in cold weather).
If the regime was as overbearing with EVs as gas vehicles... all of these batteries would be built with fire suppression jackets, each cell would get a voltage and a temp or pressure sensor (as part of an OBD system), all EVs would be capable of cell balance charging.
https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting..._an_explosion/
https://www.amerex-fire.com/upl/down...s-937ba832.pdf