The Kia EV6 is the South Korean automaker's first fully dedicated all-electric vehicle. It has a lot to prove and, so far, the reviews have been stellar. But, unfortunately, there's been an incident. The driver of a new EV6 has just crashed into what appears to be a concrete barrier in Budapest, Hungary. The impact was significant enough for the vehicle to burst into flames.

As of this writing, the exact cause of the crash or the resulting fire has not been determined. Sources on the ground indicate the driver was injured and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The EV6 has up to 576 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque in GT trim. That translates into a claimed 0-62 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph.

Those are nearly supercar-like figures. It shouldn't come as a surprise that some owners are going to have some fun behind the wheel. We don't know whether this specific EV6 was a fully-equipped GT trim with AWD or the base model with RWD and 167 hp.

This is not the first time an EV from any brand has burst into flames following a collision and it won't be the last. Severe damage to the lithium-ion batteries, high-voltage cabling, or the electric motors themselves are all possible reasons for the fire. Kia is surely already aware of the situation.

Another area of concern is extinguishing the fire itself. In previous EV fires, firefighters have had major difficulties doing their job because putting out the fire of an EV is not the same as that of an ICE vehicle. Only a fraction of firefighters have undergone sufficient EV fire-fighting training. Those who have say it's still a struggle. Dousing these flames completely can potentially take hours and require thousands of gallons of water.

We must point out that it remains unclear whether EVs are more likely to burst into flames than gas-powered cars. But when they do, it's those lithium-ion batteries that are problematic. Even once the fire is under control, the batteries are still usually hot, meaning the electric chemical reaction that causes batteries to heat is still a threat.