BYD Seal Fire Sparks Traffic Chaos, Cause Not What You Think

A BYD Seal electric sedan caught fire on Hong Kong’s Tuen Mun Road near the Tsing Tin Interchange, creating heavy traffic disruption and drawing attention to EV safety. The incident happened on March 3 at around 2:01 PM while the car was travelling toward Hung Shui Kiu.

Emergency services arrived within minutes and extinguished the fire quickly. The female driver managed to exit the vehicle safely before the flames intensified and severely damaged the cabin.

Investigation Reveals Unexpected Cause

Initial speculation pointed toward a possible EV battery failure, but a technical inspection later confirmed that the vehicle’s high‑voltage system was not responsible for the fire. Instead, investigators found that an external power bank left on the passenger seat likely triggered the blaze after suffering a short circuit or thermal runaway.

The portable charger ignited first, which then spread flames throughout the cabin. BYD clarified that none of the vehicle’s mechanical or electrical systems caused the incident.

Blade Battery Remains Intact

Despite the severe cabin fire, the BYD Seal’s Blade Battery pack remained intact. The car uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, known for higher thermal stability compared with traditional NMC batteries.

The sedan is built on BYD’s e‑Platform 3.0 with cell‑to‑body battery integration, which also helps protect the battery structure. The incident ultimately highlighted the thermal resilience of the Blade Battery even during an intense cabin fire.