On October 12, news emerged that Envision's latest-generation Gen 8 AI energy storage system recently completed the industry's largest 64MWh station-level fire test.
The test was based on NFPA 855 and UL 9540A international safety standards, proactively raising the severity level to maximize replication of real station product configurations, spatial layouts, and operating conditions. It superimposed multiple extreme conditions including extreme dense arrangement, full-charge operation, high-temperature environment, and prolonged combustion, comprehensively examining system-level fire prevention, thermal insulation, and thermal runaway containment capabilities, and fully validating the full-hierarchy safety boundaries of large-capacity energy storage.
The test was led throughout by CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association) for scheme design and on-site execution, with a US-registered fire protection engineer witnessing on site.
Results showed that the test lasted a total of 49 hours. At peak fire intensity, the heat release rate exceeded 1,500kW and the temperature reached 1,218°C. Open flames burned continuously for 9 hours before self-extinguishing. There was no thermal propagation between DC-DC and DC-AC, and no explosion or splashing throughout the entire process.
The main test cabinet showed no deformation and no melt-through, and the high-voltage box maintained uninterrupted power supply throughout. The maximum temperature of cells in adjacent cabinets did not exceed 50°C, far below the thermal runaway threshold.
The fire test involved a total station capacity of 64MWh, composed of 4 units of 16MWh energy storage systems, equipped with the world's largest prismatic wound cells of 700+Ah. It achieved for the first time the simultaneous extreme validation of three-level capacity: "largest cell + largest single cabinet + largest entire station."
In terms of spatial layout, the test station arranged 4 units of 16MWh energy storage cabinets tightly with 5cm extreme spacing, with no additional heat dissipation channels between cabinets, replicating the real form of high-density deployment at power stations. Meanwhile, in terms of equipment configuration, an integrated AC-DC solution was adopted, with all test cabinets at 100% SOC full-charge status, combined with a high-temperature environment, replicating the extreme high-temperature operating conditions of a power station under full load.
Additionally, the test proactively shut down the warning, detection, control, and fire suppression systems. During the test, the thermal radiation from the main test cabinet continuously acted on adjacent cabinets, but the maximum temperature of cells in adjacent cabinets did not exceed 50°C, far below the cell thermal runaway threshold. After the test ended, the main test cabinet remained intact, with no deformation and no melt-through. The cabin door could be opened and closed normally, and the sealing strip showed only slight carbonization at the edges. The high-voltage box maintained uninterrupted power supply throughout. The adjacent cabinets showed intact appearance, with all internal module indicators normal and no obvious damage.
Xu Zhonghua, General Manager of Energy Storage Product R&D at Envision, stated: "Energy storage is accelerating into the large-capacity era, and the concepts, standards, and boundaries of safety validation must be upgraded simultaneously. True safety is not just about passing standard tests, but also about proactively validating the system's protective capabilities after risk triggers under more severe extreme conditions, safeguarding station safety boundaries, and laying a safety foundation for releasing the full lifecycle value of energy storage assets."
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