SCDF unveils robot that can extract, relocate electric vehicles involved in fires

With electric vehicles (EV) gaining popularity, making up 57.6 per cent of all new car registrations in the first quarter of 2026, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is stepping up efforts to prepare for fire-related incidents.

The lifesaving force on Wednesday (Oct 28) unveiled its new Vehicle Extrication Robot (VXR) at the Singapore-International Disaster and Emergency Management Expo (SIDEX), held at the Singapore Expo.

Speaking at the event, Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann pointed to SCDF's Transformation 2030 vision, "Prepared, even for the unexpected".

"The aim is not simply to respond better when emergencies occur, but to anticipate risks and strengthen capabilities before they are needed," she highlighted, noting that the built environment has become more complex, alongside the emergence of new risks.

Sim noted that growing EV adoption can introduce new challenges for firefighters.

"Lithium-ion batteries can undergo thermal runaway, and affected vehicles may remain at risk of re-ignition even after a fire has been extinguished," she pointed out.

Thermal runaway refers to a condition when an electrochemical cell increases its temperature through self-heating in an uncontrollable fashion and progresses when it is generating heat at a higher rate than can be dissipated.

And because the cells are densely packed, thermal runaway of one cell is likely to propagate and eventually set the whole battery on fire.

About the Vehicle Extrication Robot

In a factsheet to the media on Wednesday, SCDF said that the risk of thermal runaway during EV battery fires require a holistic mitigation response.

"As affected EV batteries may remain at risk of re-ignition even after the fire has been extinguished, they need to be relocated to a safe area as quickly as possible," said SCDF.

To this, the SCDF's latest addition to its fleet of unmanned capabilities can be operated from up to 300 metres away, allowing firefighters to relocate an affected EV to a safe area once the fire has been extinguished.

The VXR is also equipped with an integrated water mist system that protects it from radiant heat.

Demonstrating its utility in a video, SCDF showed that an EV can still have high temperatures even after a fire has been put out.

In such cases, firefighters will deploy the VXR to tow the affected EV to another location. For example, if an affected vehicle is in an enclosed carpark, it will be relocated to an open space.

During the towing process, the VXR's water mist system is activated to shield it from the risk of reignition.

Once in an open area, firefighters are then seen deploying other firefighting equipment, including unmanned firefighting machines, to cool down the vehicle.

The VXR will begin operational trials at Punggol Fire Station and Kallang Fire Station from October 2026 and April 2027 respectively.

随着电动汽车 (EV) 越来越受欢迎，预计到 2026 年第一季度，电动汽车将占所有新车注册量的 57.6%，新加坡民防部队 (SCDF) 正在加大力度，为应对与火灾相关的事故做好准备。

周三（10 月 28 日），这支救生部队在新加坡博览中心举行的新加坡国际灾害与应急管理博览会（SIDEX）上推出了其新型车辆救援机器人（VXR）。

在活动上，内政部第二部长沈颖指出，新加坡民防部队的“2030 年转型愿景”是“做好准备，即使面对意想不到的情况”。

她强调，“我们的目标不仅仅是在紧急情况发生时更好地应对，而是要预见风险，并在需要之前加强能力”，并指出随着新风险的出现，建筑环境变得更加复杂。

Sim指出，电动汽车的日益普及可能会给消防员带来新的挑战。

她指出：“锂离子电池可能会发生热失控，即使火灾已被扑灭，受影响的车辆仍可能存在复燃的风险。”

热失控是指电化学电池通过自加热以不可控的方式升高温度，并且当其产生热量的速度超过散热速度时，热失控就会持续发生。

而且由于电池单元排列紧密，一个电池单元的热失控很可能会蔓延开来，最终导致整个电池组着火。

关于车辆脱困机器人

新加坡民防部队周三向媒体发布情况说明书称，电动汽车电池起火时发生热失控的风险需要采取全面的缓解措施。

“由于受影响的电动汽车电池即使在火灾扑灭后仍有复燃的风险，因此需要尽快将其转移到安全区域，”新加坡民防部队表示。

为此，新加坡民防部队最新引进的无人驾驶设备可在 300 米范围内操作，使消防员能够在火灾扑灭后将受影响的电动汽车转移到安全区域。

VXR 还配备了集成式水雾系统，可防止辐射热的侵害。

新加坡民防部队在一段视频中展示了电动汽车的实用性，视频显示，即使火灾被扑灭，电动汽车仍然可能具有很高的温度。

在这种情况下，消防员会派出VXR拖车将故障电动汽车拖到其他地点。例如，如果故障车辆位于封闭式停车场内，则会将其移至空旷场地。

在拖车过程中，VXR 的水雾系统被激活，以防止再次起火的风险。

一旦车辆驶入空旷区域，消防员就会部署其他消防设备，包括无人消防车，来冷却车辆。

VXR 将分别于 2026 年 10 月和 2027 年 4 月在榜鹅消防站和加冷消防站开始运行试验。