Fire Science Show
Fire Science Show
Wojciech Wegrzynski
258 - e-mobility fires in trains with Adam Barowy
56 minutes Posted Jul 1, 2026 at 7:00 am.
Why Micro Mobility On Transit Matters
Sponsor Message And Return
How Battery Fires Beat Compartments
Batteries Spreading Through Buildings
Why Trains Are A Hard Case
Real Incidents And Near Misses
Full Scale Rail Car Burn Tests
Smoke Spread Visibility And Toxic Dose
Stations Egress Limits And Design Fires
Policy Options Beyond A Total Ban
Closing Takeaways And FSRI Resources
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Show notes
A battery fire on a train is not “just another small fire.” When a lithium-ion battery in an e-scooter or e-bike fails, the rail car can behave like a long pipe that moves smoke fast, limits escape options, and compresses decision-making into minutes. We sit down with Adam Barowy from UL Research Institutes FSRI to unpack new full-scale passenger rail car burn tests using real micro-mobility devices and realistic storage locations. We talk through what thermal runaway looks like before flame...