Essay by Eric Worrall
A few years ago I called 2021 the year the EVs burned. But a quick review of last year’s horror show of EV fire incidents suggests my assessment may have been premature.
EV fires remind industry of associated risk
By Teresa Moss on January 5, 2024
InsuranceElectric vehicles (EVs) appear to have caused multiple fires at manufacturing factories in recent months, sparking a reminder about EV safety.
Most recently, the Detroit Fire Department responded to a three-alarm fire involving lithium-ion batteries at General Motors’ Factory Zero last month, according to Detroit Free Press.
“Our initial investigation indicates a forklift accidentally punctured a container with battery materials, causing the fire,” Tara Stewart Kuhnen, GM spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday.
The newspaper also reported another fire at the property in October that involved an autonomous electric car. It states the fire department’s report mentions a battery fire.
However, Kuhnen told the newspaper that a non-battery-related component caused the second fire.
Outside Detroit, the Auburn Hills Fire Department responded to a November fire at Chrysler’s Tech Center.
Multiple media reports say Chrysler’s fire involved an EV as well.
…
Read more: https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/01/05/ev-fires-remind-industry-of-associated-risk/
There have been a lot of articles about EV fires in 2023;
‘Massive Problem’: Sky News host criticises sudden EV fires
Model 3 catches fire near Goulburn, as discarded MG battery destroys five cars at airport
Incident at Chinese EV battery plant: Fire during test run sparks safety fears
Electric Vehicle Catches Fire in Middle of The Road, Causing Traffic Jam
7 Battery Electric Cars a Day Catch Fire in China: The Most Involved Brands
Four die in Volkswagen EV fire after crash, fueling safety debate
Why electric vehicles are being written off over minor battery damage
…
There are a lot more where they came from.
Defenders of EVs claim gasoline vehicle fires are far more likely, though given a lot of gasoline vehicles on the road are quite old, I’m not sure they are comparing like for like;
Do electric cars pose a greater fire risk than petrol or diesel vehicles?
The first in a series exploring the myths and realities surrounding EVs
Jasper Jolly @jjpjollyMon 20 Nov 2023 17.00 AEDT
When a fire ripped through a car park at Luton airport last month it set off a round of speculation that an electric vehicle was to blame. The theory was quickly doused by the Bedfordshire fire service, which said the blaze appeared to have started in a diesel car.
Yet the rumour refused to be quelled, spreading on social media like, well, wildfire. Even when these stories are patiently debunked, they come back as zombie myths that refuse to die.
Electric vehicles (EVs) will not deliver the environment from damage but international climate forecasters agree they are a crucial part of the transition from fossil fuels. The Guardian has spoken to experts and looked for hard data where possible to address some of the most common criticisms of electric vehicles.
…
“All the data shows that EVs are just much, much less likely to set on fire than their petrol equivalent,” said Colin Walker, the head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank. “The many, many fires that you have for petrol or diesel cars just aren’t reported.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/20/do-electric-cars-pose-a-greater-fire-risk-than-petrol-or-diesel-vehicles
On the other hand, EV and gasoline fires are not equal. The Australian maritime authority in 2023 warned ferries about the danger of EVs.
DCV Safety Alert 02/2023 – Risks Associated with the Carriage of Battery Electric Vehicles
This safety alert aims to raise awareness of the risks involved with the carriage of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) on roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ferries.
Purpose
This safety alert provides guidance to operators of domestic commercial vessels (DCVs) on risks associated with the carriage of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) on roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ferries, and how best to deal with these risks.
Risk assessment
As per Marine Order 504 (Certificates of operation and operation requirements) you must conduct a risk assessment for your vessel to ensure that risks arising from the carriage of BEVs are addressed.
Consideration must be given to the hazards arising from transporting BEVs and a vessel specific procedure developed for the prevention and mitigation of fire incidents involving BEVs.
New risks identified in relation to BEVs
Some risks associated with BEV fires onboard DCVs include:
- High voltage shocks
- Direct jet flames
- Fires develop in intensity quickly and rapidly reach their maximum intensity (typically within 2-3 minutes)
- Toxic gases
- Gas explosion (if the released gas accumulates for a while before being ignited)
- Long lasting re-ignition risk (can ignite or re-ignite weeks, or maybe months after the provoking incident)
- Once established fires are difficult to stop/extinguish
- Thermal runaway
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Read more: https://www.amsa.gov.au/vessels-operators/domestic-commercial-vessels/dcv-safety-alert-022023-risks-associated-carriage
EVs seem to pose a particular problem for ships. Ships have been destroyed by uncontrollable EV fires – automatic fire suppression systems which work on gasoline and diesel fires are helpless to extinguish EV fires, as the Felicity Ace discovered in 2022.
The Genius Star XI fire lithium battery fire was somehow brought under control in the last week, the ship is currently anchored near Dutch Harbour, Alaska, though the ship is still subject to a one mile safety exclusion zone.
I once survived a vehicle fire, caused by a gasoline tank leak. The vehicle was a write-off, but the intensity of the fire was nothing like some of the EV fires we’ve seen. I was first alerted to the fire by other drivers, I had time to pull over, and after I pulled over I had a good 90 seconds to get out of the vehicle before the cabin started filling with smoke. It wasn’t obvious the vehicle would be a write-off until the fire had been burning for 5 minutes, and the intensity finally grew to the point it was obvious the vehicle would be destroyed. Even so, I retrieved an old plastic Apple MacBook from the trunk of the vehicle. After drying the laptop for a few months, I managed to get it to boot long enough to rescue files I hadn’t backed up (lesson learned).
To be fair, the laptop may have been protected a little by some bottled water we had in the trunk, but I doubt a few bottles of water would have saved my laptop from an EV fire.
Compare this experience to a small electric vehicle fire. Bear in mind the battery on this electric scooter is minuscule compared to the battery on a full size electric automobile.
You don’t need a collision or impact to damage EV batteries. A hard frost can permanently damage an EV battery, though I have no data on whether frost damage is as dangerous in terms of fire risk as collision damage.
Are EVs more dangerous than gasoline vehicles? Despite my personal experience of a gasoline vehicle fire, I believe the answer is yes, given the maritime authority warning, the speed and ferocity of EV fires, the writing off of EVs after even minor collisions, and the apparent inability of normal fire suppression systems to douse EV fires – even if claims that gasoline fires are more common are true.
Naval personnel going aboard ships are required to go through firefighting training. We were taught how fight fires in compartments.
We also got a small amount of training on how to fight magnesium brake fires aboard carriers. Usually sand.These were very dangerous for the ship as they could melt through several levels of the ship. To save everything pushing plane over the side was solution.
Sounds like lithium fires have similar issues.
I was an “investigator” on my ship’s fire teams (USS Prairie, USS Sperry 1975-1980). Two times, after remote sensors went off, I found and looked into the gates of hell – white hot fires (not kidding), in deep compartments. Fires started by oily rags not properly stowed. Note the compartment, scamper back up and report, then get on the hose crew and go down and put it out.
In Weber county, Utah, if you have an EV, your dwelling must have a fire suppression system.
Having a battery powered POS burn down your private residence is a perfect two-fer from the globalist’s point of view. They get to deny you personal transportation and clear some land to make room for government run section 8 housing.
EV’s aren’t a solution looking for a problem, they are a problem looking for taxpayer funding.
I’m just throwing this out there to say you CAN set an ICE car on fire, you’ve just gotta be really stupid about it:
Morris, Illinois, USA 2021
200 tons of lithium batteries burned for 2 weeks before 28 tons of dry portland cement was used to smother the fire.
https://www.ehs.com/2021/07/morris-lithium-battery-fire-highlights-emergency-planning-hazardous-chemical-management/
From the Goulburn story:
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry told TheDriven the car at the airport had suffered mechanical damage, and says EV car fires are not a concern for the service, considering there are some 150,000 EVs in the state and fires are vanishingly rare.
“Not for cars, they’re stable, they’re safe they’ve got great technology around them. They meet great standards,” he says.
“Where we have a bigger concern is the smaller lithium ion batteries in EV bikes and scooters, as we are seeing an increasing number of fires in them.”
Electrifying!
Duh. Of course there are more fires in petrol vehicles- there are many many more of them. And the number of EVs still driving around after 30 years is 0.
Yes. EVs explode just sitting there.
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Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwhnArkZTu8
It is worth it for the first five seconds alone, and subsequent EV events in China.
It’s also a remarkably unbiased an factual account of the problems facing battery technology as well as the woes of the Chinese EV industry.
For humour also note the Chinese sat-nav program that guides the driver to a certain place when he asked for an EV charging point.
Driver: “I asked you to direct me to an EV charging location, but you have directed me to a cemetery.”
Device: “You have reached your destination.”
Out of the mouths of babes or AI…
That first one is suspect though. EVs don’t explode in quite that way. If you look closely at the left side, there’s a guy standing there with his cell phone camera pointed at the car waiting for the event to occur
EVs tend to be more like fireworks with the little cells acting like Roman Candles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA7SoM2DWuM
They tend to be eruptive and not launching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQFff-KQ7EY
And their fire doesn’t spontaneously vanish
Has someone caluclated the carbon footprint of a burning (or just discarded) EV? 😉
The French can have hundreds of vehicle fires in one night. Are these and similar counted in the stats?
On our ferry in BC, the passenger evacuation is on one side of the car deck. If there were to be an electric vehicle fire, evacuation would be impossible.
I don’t buy it. How many millions of internal combustion engine autos, trucks etc have been shipped by boat in the last 75 to 100 years? If they were a bigger problem than electric vehicles we all would know it.
Good point. I haven’t heard of a fire in an ICE car sinking a ship.
Many power tools have Li-ion batteries… Is there any danger to consumers of these tools?
(from these batteries) I should have questioned.
I would guess much less dangerous. Small objects have a greater ratio of surface to volume and so can dissipate heat more easily. Some months ago my daughter’s mobile phone suffered some sort of battery malfunction – probably an internal short – it got very hot (too hot to touch) but did not ignite.
“Is there any danger to consumers of these tools?”
There is some danger. Some small devices catch on fire, too.
I don’t charge any lithium battery unless I’m present. I wouldn’t charge my phone or other things overnight while I am sleeping. I don’t trust the batteries enough to do so.
Even the small LiPo batteries (4-8v) used in RC cars or drones can catch fire when charging.
I’m 58 and have never seen a gas vehicle fire except in a horrible collision.
I have seen one Ev burning on a street, where it was parked
Post office in Ireland will not accept an item if it contains batteries.
Another electric vehicle goes up in flames:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67944657
Electric public transport vehicle fires seem to be reported more often than electric cars, are they more prone to ignition or just more newsworthy?