Two bystanders use a fire extinguisher to try to put out the Lynk & Co 900 fire in Hangzhou. Credit: Weibo Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member A curbside fire involving a Lynk & Co 900 in Hangzhou, China, has prompted the brand’s local dealership to reject speculation that the plug-in hybrid SUV suffered a high-voltage battery fire. The retailer said a consumer power bank was reportedly dropped and kicked under the vehicle before the blaze began, although the official cause remains pending a municipal fire investigation. The incident occurred on a commercial street in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, at approximately 4:06 PM on September 9, 2026. Bystander footage showed smoke and localised flames beneath the parked SUV before firefighters extinguished the blaze. The footage does not establish whether the traction battery was involved. Dealership blames stray power bank On September 10, Hangzhou Lingyue Lynk & Co Centre issued an official statement. According to the dealership, the vehicle owner said a passerby dropped a portable power bank, which was then kicked under the SUV before catching fire. The dealership denied that the high-voltage traction battery ignited and said the final determination would depend on an official Fire Accident Certificate. The owner’s account is not a formal determination of the cause. No battery telemetry, thermal data or forensic examination results have been released publicly, leaving the power-bank explanation unverified. Video caught bystanders using a portable extinguisher on flames coming from beneath the Lynk & Co 900 in Hangzhou. Credit: Weibo Flagship architecture and underbody protection The 900 is the brand’s three-row flagship PHEV, launched in 2025 on Geely’s modular SPA Evo architecture. A five-seater variant joined the China lineup in April. The 900 previously underwent a China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) third-row double-crash test. The SUV uses 44.9 kWh and 52.4 kWh battery packs, supplied by CALB and CATL respectively, with the larger pack using CATL’s Freevoy hybrid battery. Its height-adjustable air suspension provides ground clearance from 180 mm to 234 mm. The battery pack has its own protective enclosure, while the underbody also contains non-metallic components such as aerodynamic covers and splash shields. An external heat source could ignite surrounding materials without causing thermal runaway inside the traction battery, but there is no evidence this occurred in this incident. Physical context and battery safety rules A typical 10,000 mAh consumer power bank stores roughly 0.037 kWh, compared with more than 40 kWh in the 900’s traction battery. That difference alone does not determine whether an external lithium-ion battery can start or sustain a localised fire, which depends on the device’s condition, position and surrounding materials. China’s mandatory GB 38031-2025 battery safety standard took effect on July 1, 2026, replacing the 2020 framework for applicable new-vehicle type approvals. However, type-approval compliance does not establish the ignition source in a specific real-world incident. For now, the facts are narrower than the dealership’s explanation: a Lynk & Co 900 caught fire beneath the vehicle; the retailer attributed it to a power bank based on the owner’s account, and the official cause remains undetermined. The municipal fire investigation will need to establish whether the traction battery, an external object, underbody materials or another source was responsible. Most important news in your inbox. Recaps · scheduled All you need, in one email. Instant alerts · real-time Ping me when an article goes live. 0 of 27 topics selected Bundle into one email per day — instead of one email per article No spam · Unsubscribe with one click · Change settings anytime
+7 others
