[Darksheare]

Musk is a parasite who risks taxpayer money on extremely risky ventures, yet none of his own.
He also demonstrably lies about his products, Tesla bricking not covered by warranty despite him claiming it is for example, and uses bully tactics in websites and forums against anyone who dares tell the truth.

[Lx]

Didn’t Musk come out in the media and say Boeing’s Dreamliner was unsafe due to the battery pack problem they had. Now, he’s making things up? I knew I never trusted this guy. SpaceX does not make up for the behemoth that is PayPal.

[jazusamo]

Please bump the Freepathon or click above and donate or become a monthly donor!

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

“If that incident had occurred exactly as Tesla has theorized (near-instantaneous impalement of the battery pack by a 3” diameter sharp metallic object), in my opinion the car would have been instantly disabled (no chance to keep driving for another 2 - 3 minutes to get off the main highway, park, and exit the vehicle without injury) and might even have detonated the battery pack…,” wrote Lattice Energy’s Lewis Larsen, a physicist who has been a frequent critic of companies that depend on the viability of lithium ion batteries, in an email.

While am not familiar with Mr. Larsen's credentials as an expert on Lithium batteries, I do have quite a bit of real-world experience with them when used in bricks, such as are used in the Tesla.

Unlike other technologies, Lithium batteries can be and usually are, arranged in parallel and series connections to maximize both the voltage and amperage to make a high-voltage, high-capacity pack.

Damage to a part of a pack would not cause instantaneous disablement.

In fact, if you read the literature on how the Tesla battery packs are built, there is a computer monitoring each cell's output and can take that cell off-line if the cell goes over or below it's nominal power output. It's actually pretty common for Lithium batteries to have different lifetimes, which is why the Tesla battery packs allow replacement of individual cells.

In the case where there were damage to, even a large number of cells, the on-board computer would simply take those cells out of the loop. The computer would have no way of knowing that the cells suffered physical damage. It would only know that the cells were not producing the right voltage and would take the appropriate steps.

Also, when damaged, Lithium batteries do not immediately explode. Rather, internal shorts cause a heat build-up. The cells will start to emit toxic and noxious white smoke. Once the temperature reaches a certain point, they will burst into flames.

I read the accident report for the first incident and what I read sounded entirely normal for a lithium fire, i.e.: it takes about 2-3 minutes for the fire to begin. Once started, it cooks off other cells and generates a lot of heat and is almost impossible to extinguish with water.

[The Cajun]

NHTSA to Investigate Tesla Fires as Battery Facts Remain Elusive

Battery releasing stored energy a little faster than needed.

[Clay Moore]

I augered in a little RC plane with a lithium ion battery about 1”x1”x2.” The resulting arcing and fire was impressive. A car sized battery fire must be spectacular.