After the storm, then come the EV fires…

Apparently only 0.3% of cars in Florida are currently EV’s, which is lucky, because after the Hurricane Ian a few of them are catching fire.  Imagine what happens when all the cars are EV’s and firefighters need to pour on 100,000 liters of water and stick around for hours to baby sit what’s left:

Electric vehicles catching fire in Florida after Hurricane Ian

David Propper, New York Post.

Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal, said on Twitter.

“There’s a ton of EVs disabled from Ian,” he tweeted. “As those batteries corrode, fires start.

“That’s a new challenge that our firefighters haven’t faced before. At least on this kind of scale.”

 @JimmyPatronis

At least one other twitter account North Collier Fire Rescue reports that “I’m in Naples there have been multiple fires like this in areas impacted by Ian.”

In the twitter thread people warn that that they shouldn’t be using water to put out a lithium battery fire, but there is so little that anyone can do to stop these fires, that pouring hundreds of gallons of water a minute continuously is the official Tesla policy.

Tesla policy on car fires.

Allegedly the Tesla policy on car fires.

But boy is it a lot of water:

Up to 150 000 liters of water needed to put out a fire in an electric car

International Associat6ion of Fire and Rescue Services

A US fire service recently needed to use 24 000 gallons – almost 90 000 liters – of water to put out a battery fire in a Tesla in a parking lot car fire. Studies suggest even more water may be necessary to put out fires in EVs. 

According to an article on TheHill.com on August 17, 2021 it is considered normal procedure that firefighters will need to use up to 40 times more water to put out a fire in an EV, compared to a standard gasoline car.

The article also claims authorities have said a Tesla Model X poses a serious threat of starting a fire for hours after a crash.  

“Normally a car fire you can put out with 500 to 1,000 gallons of water,” Austin Fire Department Division Chief Thayer Smith said, according The Independent.

In the Netherlands the fire brigade just lifted a smoking hybrid car and dropped it into a container full of water. Apparently it slows the fire down and only takes 24 to 48 hours.  When 100% of all cars are EV’s we see the Fire Department towing cranes and truck-sized-baths to manage them…

Of course, most EV car fires don’t give this much lead time.

As far as the all new Clean Green Civilization goes, we are building this plane as we fly it.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

10 out of 10 based on 83 ratings

74 comments to After the storm, then come the EV fires…

  • #
    Rosco

    It’s OK – even the rain that falls won’t fill our rivers or dams – so nothing to see here.

    321

  • #
    George P Snoga

    But we’ve got to save the planet . . ARRGH!!

    160

  • #
    Penguinite

    You can bet that insurance companies will be adjusting policies upwards to reflect this problem! Just another glitch in the Green EV world. How come we’re not reading about EV fires in China?

    270

  • #
    JB

    Hence the term ‘Chariots of Fire’.

    430

  • #
  • #
    WendyB

    How do you push an EV out of your garage so as to protect your house after the water recedes?

    90

  • #
    Neville

    Everything about their so called CC mitigation is a sinister, looming disaster and it’s just 100% BS and FRA-D.
    So how will this work when most of the cars etc are EVs and so many homes will also have a battery in the garage just waiting to explode in the early hours of the morning?
    Or all the cars or batteries etc that are being charged overnight in very large numbers in big apartment building garages?
    Who’ll put out these monster fires then I wonder? And how more dangerous will it be to cut out survivors from an EV car accident if it ignites 10 minutes after the crash?
    There’s no doubt that our delusional so called leaders are barking mad.

    270

  • #
    Maptram

    I assume there won’t be much of a trade-in value for second hand EVs

    160

    • #
      Terry

      ‘…trade-in value for second hand EVs’

      Sure there is. You buy them, recycled, in packs of 24

      70

    • #
      Lion heart

      An English podcaster has a Porche EV that he bough to show how stupid you have to be to own an EV. He misses many of the important problems but focuses mainly on charging and the stress of running out of power, charges suiting your car, charges working, wating your turn, having something to do while you wait and how much time they take out of your life.
      He doesn’t seem to know that fast charging reduces battery life dramatically. Battery life is the most important aspect of resale value.
      There are many of his follower’s comments. Many say that they sold the car within 6 months because they could not stand the stress and went back to ICE.
      To use a public charging station you have to have programmed your card and inlcude the last 4 digits of your registration number.

      170

    • #
      MattM

      A fire sale?

      90

    • #
      Richard C (NZ)

      >”I assume there won’t be much of a trade-in value for second hand EVs”

      Depends on what where and when:

      Tesla And Other EV Owners Reselling Cars For Profit As Demand Soars
      https://insideevs.com/news/599195/tesla-ev-owners-reselling-car-profit-demand-soars/

      Some Tesla owners in Los Angeles have realized they can make more money flipping and re-selling their EVs as demand forces buyers to endure long wait periods, as the Los Angeles Times reports. One 33-year-old automotive enthusiast detailed the process to the publication, including his slow increase in profits with each new Tesla sold.

      Used EV imports sell well in NZ but there are snags for the unwary:

      What you need to know about buying a second-hand electric vehicle
      https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/about/sustainability/climate-change-hub/yourself/what-you-need-to-know-about-buying-a-second-hand-electric-vehicle

      The Nissan Leaf made up 91% of all imported second-hand EVs between 2015 and 31 January 2021 [in NZ]. When the first bar goes in a first-generation Nissan Leaf battery you’ve lost about 15% of the original capacity. That’s a significant loss given the short range of the car. The New Zealand EV promotion organisation, Flip the Fleet, has collected over 2,000 battery capacity measurements for the oldest Leafs. On average, the data shows that after eight years you can expect the battery to be reduced to around 70% of its original capacity

      Caveat emptor.

      100

    • #
      Philip

      there will be demand. Whether there will be a product is the question.

      41

    • #
      Hanrahan

      At the moment, the X10 improvement in battery Watt/$ we were promised hasn’t happened so today’s Tesla only has incremental advances over an old one [same with ICEV] so depreciation isn’t too bad, but 50% depreciation on a $100G Tesla is a LOT more money than 50% on a Camry*. When that PROMISED magic™ new battery arrives the existing EV fleet will be obsolete.
      Now you no longer get super-charging for life with your Tesla and “free” electricity is like hen’s teeth the gloss will wear off quickly.

      * I’m not a Toyota salesman but the Camry it’s just the bog standard “dad” car.

      10

  • #
    Gerry

    Will the use of solid state batteries make a difference? Seems they are not so sensitive to heat.

    21

    • #
      Lion heart

      Liquid metal batteries deserve more reserch. They ned the heat geerated when charging or discharging to keep the metal molten. They do not catch fire and could be recycled if necessary after 20 years destroying the toxic waste problems.
      They must be stationary. The Victorian battery disaster could have been avoided.
      Small versions coud be used domestically and solar panels backed up with new small bladless wind generators could be put on rooves to put some saniy into this renewable nonsense. After 13 years solar panels would remain a toxic waste issue.

      Graphine from graphite batteries are an interesting concept. They are light, hold lots of power and handle quick charging and discharging. They are not a new concept but graphine is only 1 atom thick making handling extremely difficult.

      Currently with abundant fossile fuels this development is a waste of time but there is hope for the future when we run out of fossll fuels and have devoloped more technologies.

      32

      • #
        Lion heart

        Please pardon my typos. I point and shoot on the TV screen and it is difficult to check but context usually enables readers to correct. However graphene was a spelling mstake. People who bothered to research the thoughts I drew attention to will be as amazed as I am.
        The whole point is that the cart is before the horse as they realized over 100 years ago. Well they did have a horse and cart then.
        They stopped the EV because of battery and range problems. Those problems still exist. Similarly windmills and solar are premature without battery revolution.
        Get the batteries reliable and suitable then develop ways to use and charge them.
        They must use cheap available, recyclable, non toxic, raw materials. Liquid metal and graphene are but handling carbon to present as graphene is currently complex.
        The new designed wind generators are not visual polution or expensive. Solar is toxic but improvements and ingenuity could overcome that serious problem. I believe that if we got better minds than those that cannot realize that AGW insults reason we may not have ugly wires connecting multiple grids everywhere.
        Turnbull was a zealot but using natural power that is not required to pump water uphill so that it can be run downhill when it is required is not totally stupid. I would never support grids everywhere but sensibly placed dams could be generators.
        The Ord could flow South and be pumped into tanks so that when power was required land could be irrigated.
        We need innovative leadership not power hungry egotists or mob thinking unrealistic idealists.
        Meanhile I am happy to aim for 1200 ppm CO2 and grow more food with less water even if the planet warmed a small amount. Actually more warmth at the poles would reduce cycloes and there intensity. That’s logical.

        40

      • #

        Lion Heart
        I believe you are wrong here. The only liquid metal batteries I know are sodium sulphur ones. And these are better than the lithium ones due to the lower cost of the materials and they don’t wear out, but it ends there.

        Liquid sodium is extremely dangerous as is liquid sulphur. Liquid sodium catches fire v easily and will explode violently when water contacts it. Liquid sulphur will catch fire and produce poisonous acidic sulphur dioxide/trioxide fumes.

        There are some larger installations of these. But when one of these goes up there will be no further ones as the resulting inferno and withspread evacuations in the surrounding area will mean nobody will agree to have them in their area ever again.

        There is no CO2 warming issue, as you point out, and we have enormous amounts of fossil fuels readily available which can be used to fuel ever better ICEs. ICEs have a long way to go with variable compression, precombustion chambers, electric turbo chargers and a host of other refinements available which when implemented will continue their long march forward in reduced fuel consumption and higher power. EVs are a dead end and bring with them no end of problems. The sooner we end this dangerous infatuation the better.

        31

        • #
          Lion heart

          I agree that we have ample fossil fuel and the solutions solve problems that don’t exist.
          You are WRONG about liquid metal batteries. They are sold by Ambri to people who are a bit more diligent in their search for batteries. They do not use any sulphur and vary the metal for the anode side and cathode side. They seek abundace and melting points below 700 degrees. The container is an insulator. The 3 components come as pellets mixed up together. When heated they melt and float with their density determining their postion.
          Several have been sold. Fire does not happen. The hotter the better. There is no wear except possibly the container. A worn container perhaps after 20 years could be replaced and the contents recycled.
          The draw back is the need to be horizontal and still. Geelong would have been a perfect site for a far cheaper battery with more charge more quickly and no risk of fire.
          A far better option is to replace Hazel and mine for gas. Victorian Liberals are no improvement on these issues.

          00

  • #
    Richard C (NZ)

    >”When 100% of all cars are EV’…s”

    And hybrids:

    Watch: [Auckland] Driver has lucky escape after Mercedes hybrid vehicle goes up in flames (skip ad)
    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2022/10/driver-has-lucky-escape-after-mercedes-hybrid-vehicle-goes-up-in-flames.html

    “I love my car and I bought the car because of the colour of the upholstery for the dogs, so I’m a bit pissed off and going to have to find a new one,” Harris said.

    Hence ‘gone to the dogs’

    100

  • #
    Neville

    BTW everyone should watch this short video showing very fast ignition of the row of buses after the first one ignites.
    This is an accurate example of the danger of EV fires in garages overnight or wherever the first EV explodes in close proximity.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T71cVhxG_v4

    70

  • #
    Steve4192

    I have read that one way to put out EV fires is to smother them by encasing them in concrete. Maybe we should start rigging up fire trucks with cement mixers on the back end? Just hose the fire down with wet cement then let the fire to cook it solid.

    110

  • #
    yarpos

    Interesting contradiction. On one hand batteries fail if submerged, but in another country they submerge them to put them out. I wonder what happens when they pull them out? Or maybe there is nothing left to pull out.

    100

    • #
      Lion heart

      They did not go out they contined to burn underwater for 24 to 48 hours. The water only contains the spread.
      Geeong fire burnt, realeasing toxic gasses for 4 days. Bigger burns longer.

      50

  • #
    cadger

    Fox News reported on this earlier today.

    Fire chief: There’s thousands of ticking time bombs out there.

    180

  • #
    Neville

    Bjorn Lomborg lists 7 myths about their so called CC. Here’s the 7 myths and the link to videos etc.
    BTW myth 7 covers Aussie bushfires and of course much lower percentage today ( see 2019 to 2020 drought year) than a hundred years ago.

    https://unherd.com/thepost/bjorn-lomborg-7-myths-about-climate-change/

    Lomborg challenges seven common myths about climate change:

    Myth 1. “Small islands are doomed by rising sea levels”
    “We constantly hear Micronesia, the Maldives or Seychelles or something is going to be flooded and they’re only like a metre or two metres above sea level…What happens is most of these islands are coral islands, so they have actually occurred because they break off dead coral when there’s storms and wash it ashore. That accretes to the island and makes the island higher. At the same time, of course, a sea level rise makes the island lower. But it turns out that at least for now, and probably in the foreseeable future, the accretion is higher than the sea level rise.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 2: “Extreme weather events are killing more people”
    If you take a graph of how many people die from climate related disasters, we have good data for that for the last 100 years. In the 1920s, about half a million people died each and every year from climate disasters. A lot of them were floods and droughts, especially in China and India that you’ve never heard of. What’s happened since then is that it’s declined dramatically. So in the 2010s, we were down to 18,000 deaths, so about 96% reduction in deaths. And last year, it was down to 14,000 or so in 2020. And in 2021, we don’t obviously have the whole year yet, but it looks like 2021 is set to be even lower at about 6000.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 3: “Climate lockdowns are a good solution”
    The first thing to realise is despite the fact that we shut down the entire world in 2020, we still emitted almost as much. We probably cut our emissions about 6% globally. That’s because we still have to heat our homes. We sat at home and Zoomed instead and used electricity in that way. So when you shut down one thing you end up doing something else. And so yes, you can cut your emissions a little bit. But it turns out that it’s really hard to shut down dramatically. For example, when China was most shut down, it still emitted 84% of its normal emissions.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 4: “Electric cars don’t harm the environment”
    Electric cars are being sold as net zero. But what they actually are is that they’re zero when they’re driving. But much of the energy that you tank up your car, unless you live in Norway, is basically fossil fuel. And of course, most of the battery is produced in China or somewhere else where it emitted a lot of co2 typically from coal fired power plants.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 5: “Polar bears are going extinct on melting ice caps”
    First of all, remember the polar bears lived through the last time there was probably no ice in the Arctic, which was five to eight thousand years ago. So clearly, it’s not the end of the world for them. But also, and we need to recognise we’re still seeing a trending upwards of polar bears…We’ve probably gone from somewhere between five and ten thousand polar bears, up till today, where we have about 25,000 polar bears
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 6: “Stop eating meat to save the planet”
    The reality is that going meat free is only going to do a little bit for climate. We often hear that, ‘Oh, it’s 50% of your food intake’, and you only hear the 50% so you can apparently reduce 50%. But it’s only 50% of your food emissions. So the reality is, when you look at the total impact it’s about 4%.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV

    Myth 7: “Wildfires are getting worse, and proof of climate change”
    We’ve actually seen that wildfire has been declining in amount of burnt area pretty much every year since 1900…Overall, Australia for instance had one of its lowest burns ever. It used to burn in the early 1900s about 12% of the area of Australia every year. It went down to about 6-8%, typically in the early 2000s. In 2019/20 it burned a little less than 4%”.
    – BJORN LOMBORG, UNHERDTV.

    201

  • #
    OldOzzie

    rosie says:
    October 8, 2022 at 7:02 am

    Fin review, paywalled.
    ‘Headed for failure’: Alinta CEO on energy transition

    30

  • #
    Bozotheclown

    we are building this plane as we fly it.

    Jo, I would not even taxi that plane.

    80

  • #
    robert rosicka

    New Hummer EV from GMC takes 4 days to charge from a standard house outlet , can imagine some wires getting warm after 4 days .

    50

    • #
      cadger

      It’s been been my experience that trickle charging doesn’t create much heat.

      21

      • #
        Hanrahan

        Trickle charge, in the sense you use the term, may not even keep the truck’s “always on” electronics going.

        The math is simple, learn it.

        In the US with 110V, 15A wall sockets the rated o/p is 110 X 15 / 1,000 = 1.6 kW output.

        Then X 24 = 38.4 kWh/day ie 5 days for a 200kWh full charge.

        Your small appliance ‘trickle” charger would be 100mA max so would take 750 days to charge, assuming no “drain”. EVs cannot sit for a year before they become dead flat.

        Ref Peter May from Top Gear.

        There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

        And another thing: If you plan to draw max rated current out of your house wiring check your fuse box. If you don’t have a row of individually wired earth leakage circuit breakers, pay for an upgrade. That EV still cheap?

        00

  • #

    Another missing story is that when we have hurricanes and natural disasters the power goes off. After a huge storm in Sydney in 1991 our house was without power for over 3 weeks.

    Nearly all EV charging takes place at home. So where would they be charged? Or would we also have to deal with dead EVs clogging our roads as well…

    I also remember a post from a guy in Louisiana who said that when these storms are coming there are massive traffic jams as people seek to get out of the path. One can be stuck for hours. In his ICE he said he and many others had to fill up with fuel due to the long waits, but easily could. But he asked, quite reasonably, what if there were nearly all EVs? The whole road system would rapidly be completely stopped by hordes of dead vehicles. And then in comes the hurricane…

    Again, our Leftist friends pushing us into a catastrophic disaster in the name of saving the planet, when in reality they will do nothing of the sort and many lives will be lost.

    140

    • #
      Chad

      when these storms are coming there are massive traffic jams as people seek to get out of the path. One can be stuck for hours. In his ICE he said he and many others had to fill up with fuel due to the long waits, but easily could. But he asked, quite reasonably, what if there were nearly all EVs? The whole road system would rapidly be completely stopped by hordes of dead vehicles….

      ..EVs dont use any “fuel” whilst stationary in traffic jams !

      07

      • #
        Steve Richards

        Fans and water pump to keep the battery cool.
        Heating/air con to keep passengers happy.
        Radio/phone for information.
        Side lights to prevent people driving into you.
        Internet to let your Tesla call home.

        50

      • #

        Wrong, as Steve pointed out.

        Its usually hot and humid so the AC is running flat out. And the traffic does move slowly so power is needed. And if at night will the EV have no lights on? Will the EV start the journey fully charged – unlikely?

        Sorry but I say again, we will have dead EVs blocking traffic, with the occupants having to be dealt with.

        But I think the EVs will kill themselves here over time. The resale value issue will destroy owners wealth and once they have lost huge amounts on a vehicle that is a boat anchor due to the battery being worn out they will not be doing it again.

        50

  • #
    Philip

    I think I read Tesla Y was the third biggest Australian seller in September. That is quite an achievement. It is a sign that people are quite convinced “they are the future”. I assume they think these technical problems will be solved by technology.

    30

  • #
    Philip

    And, why are they catching fire after a Hurricane? What’s the causal factor? Not sure the article described that, just how hard they are to put out.

    20

  • #
    Perplexed of Brisbane

    100,000L of beautiful toxic water flowing down the drains into the waterways. EV’s are the environmental gift that keeps on giving. Ignore the CO2 that is expended in making them, just bask in the CO2 they don’t emit. Also ignore the CO2 emitted while charging them.

    If we ‘save’ the environment any more, there won’t be anything left to enjoy.

    100

    • #
      Dennis

      Sky News Bolt Report last week a motoring journalist interviewed has been investigating EV battery packs, cost of replacement, effective operating service life, etc.

      Of ten manufacturers he approached only one gave him the replacement details: warranty 8 years or 160,000 kilometres, remove and replace battery pack $47,000

      He pointed out that loss of charge capacity and related theoretical range is a trade-in deduction factor if earlier than end of the warranty period.

      Consider the premium prices over internal combustion engine vehicles and add the battery costs factor and claims about saving of fuel and maintenance costs is not what EV promotors want prospective buyers to know.

      50

  • #
    Dennis

    I wonder if the woke EV drivers realise why their vehicle’s registration number plates front and rear have a blue triangle sticker attached?

    Now required by law to alert road traffic authorities and fire brigades that ab EV or Hybrid has hazardous fire potential.

    Exothermic reaction from Lithium ion battery pack.

    30

  • #
    mmxx

    It wont be long before high-rise apartment blocks put restrictions on EVs using under-building car parks to protect residents above from fire and toxic smoke.

    30

  • #
    RoHa

    We needn’t worry. It never rains in Australia, so there is no water to cause fires.

    30

  • #
    Geoffrey Williams

    So these batteries corrode and catch fire after a soaking from a flood, this begs the question what happens when they are placed in landfill at the end of life ?!

    10

    • #
      Gerry

      The flood during Hurricane Ian was of sea water ….most of our floods are rain water I’d imagine.

      00

    • #
      Chad

      Geoffrey Williams
      October 8, 2022 at 3:26 pm · Reply
      So these batteries corrode and catch fire after a soaking from a flood, this begs the question what happens when they are placed in landfill at the end of life ?!

      Exactly the same as what happens when an ICE car with a half full prtrol tank is placed in land fill !…
      … IE,.. it doesnt happen !
      Cars do not get “placed in land fill” ….. they are RECYCLED !
      Batteries in particular (even old damaged ones) are far too valuable to be landfill .

      01

      • #
        Geoffrey Williams

        Oops looks like I’ve struck a nerve . . So ‘half a full prtrol tank’ how odd is that ?!
        Methinks half a tank of PETROL is much easier to recycle than half a TONNE of batteries.
        And yes a large part of cars does end up in landfill as i is too difficult to recycle . .

        10

  • #
    Geoffrey Williams

    Furthermore what is the potential for CO2 emmissions from lithium batteries at end of life ?!

    20

  • #
    daveR

    Since 1999, post-devolution, Scotland was given control over its renewables energy policy – predominantly wind, hydro and solar. The firm generation capabilities were ‘reserved’ to UK. Politically-driven Scottish gov via persistent UK admin chose to succour the green route.

    00

  • #
    DD

    When 100% of all cars are EV’s we see the Fire Department towing cranes and truck-sized baths to manage them…

    It won’t be a problem at all, because we know the globalists want private transport to be too expensive for us proles, thus forcing us to use public transport.

    But that’s okay, too, because they’ll just mandate masks and a seventh Covid booster shot for us.

    Rest easy, you will be saving the planet … and no longer soiling the “elites'” preferred holiday destinations.

    30

  • #
    Mr Nobody

    Yep, where there is an EV accident with a battery fire, we have to call in bulk water and stand there for hours applying water, not with the intent of extinguishing the battery fire but using the water to cool surrounding cells to prevent them from igniting.

    30

  • #
    william x

    Re Ev fires

    Jo also published a page on the 8th August 2022.

    https://joannenova.com.au/2022/08/100-evs-mysteriously-destroyed-in-fire-in-india/

    I replied on the article above- post #1.2

    Quote

    “I do not know the cause of this fire.

    All I can do is describe my first hand experience as a first responder.

    If lithium batteries catch fire, they are extremely diffult to extinguish.

    The battery does not need free oxygen from the air to burn. The chemical reaction of a thermal runaway releases both hydrogen and oxygen.
    The reaction creates both an oxidizer and a fuel source. So combustion self sustains.

    Lithium itself when alight has properties similiar to magnesium when water is applied. It massively increases the heat and combustive rate.

    For a first responder, EV car fires are extremely dangerous. re battery explosions and also the extinguishing mediums available.

    Applying water + foam is virtually useless. In cases it can act as an accelerant.

    There is another problem.. If the vehicle has been involved in a MVA (Motor vehicle accident), the car may be structually compromised.
    High voltage leakage is a possibility. If an occupant remains inside their vehicle all is ok. (Think faraday cage)
    If an occupant removes themselves, there is a danger of shock from step potential. (or touch potential.. edit)
    This is a danger for any first responder that has to engage in patient extrication.

    If no patients, we just standby, protect exposures and watch the Li-ion burn out.”

    End quote.

    Re the current article.

    The photo of a car dropped into water by the Netherlands Fire Brigades, shows how limited we are in extinguishing these type of fires.
    Was this the right choice? I don’t know.

    The firefighting technology in extinguishing these type of fires is at the moment hit and miss.
    Experimentation to date has been futile.
    We are not able to extinguish the fire atm. It has to burn out.
    There are not many options.

    The reaction self sustains. It creates a fuel source and an oxidizer (O2). It creates its own heat.

    Traditional firefighting removes one or more of these three things to exinguish a fire. Fuel, oxidizer or an ignition source-heat.

    The problem with LI batteries is that they create all three in a thermal runaway.

    The reaction self sustains. It creates a fuel source and an oxidizer (O2). It creates its own heat.

    We could put a Tesla with a lit battery on a Elon SpaceX rocket, send it into orbit, and it would still burn.

    I hate EV fires.

    70

    • #
      Perplexed of Brisbane

      William X,

      Great post.

      If no patients, we just standby, protect exposures and watch the Li-ion burn out.”

      I would add, don’t get caught laughing at the burning wreck by the media.

      10

  • #

    […] blog of the day is Jo Nova, with a post on EV fires […]

    00

  • #
    Andrew McRae

    Nobody said it yet?
    OK.

    From How is Dry Ice Manufactured?

    This [CO2] gas is often taken from the ammonia production process, as that’s the most efficient way to produce carbon dioxide, but in the U.S. it’s also majorly supplied from the ethanol production process. Natural gas is burned to separate carbon and hydrogen atoms, and the hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to make ammonia. The leftover carbon then can be mixed with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide.

    From Jo’s linked fire extinguishing ‘tesla-safety.png’:

    … If water is not immediately available, use CO2 …

    😀

    10

  • #
    Leo G

    In the Netherlands the fire brigade just lifted a smoking hybrid car and dropped it into a container full of water.

    Perhaps non-ICE commuter EVs should be parked in a refractory brick garage over a drop pit which can be rapidly filled with water.
    If EV owners have no qualms about a car with an AUD$30,000 climate-change affirming battery pack, and a home rapid charger, then think of the virtue signal bonus from a household swimming pool to EV drop pit pumped hydro.

    00