Posted on 05/05/2023 8:24:48 AM PDT by Red Badger
A self-driving electric car caught fire at a warehouse in Phoenix earlier this week and firefighters suspect it might not be fully extinguished for weeks.
KSAZ-TV reported a Waymo self-driving electric car burst into flames on Tuesday morning inside a building located near the interaction of Third Street and Buckey Road.
The building’s sprinkler system has been credited with preventing the fire from spreading to other cars in the fleet.
Electric vehicle fires are notoriously challenging to put out and the one that caught fire Tuesday was no exception.
According to KSAZ-TV, more than 50 firefighters descended upon the warehouse to tackle the fire – which was still smoldering as of Thursday.
No one was injured in the fire.
First responders from both the Phoenix and Tempe fire departments worked to get the blaze under control.
The Fox affiliate reported the car blaze is being kept under control by sand and water and firefighters do not expect it will fully burn itself out for up to three weeks.
The vehicle is also sitting in what was described as a dumpster to isolate it.
Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Todd Keller told the outlet the batteries used in such cars — which are lithium-ion — can reach extreme heat in a matter of a fraction of a second.
“These cells in a 10th of a second can heat up to 1,200 degrees, that’s why it makes it so difficult to extinguish these fires,” Keller said.
He added firefighters are always working to find new methods to get such blazes under control.
“We may have not fought an EV fire the way we did a year ago, but we’re always advancing our technology on how to extinguish these,” he said. “You have to cool them down.”
During EV blazes, firefighters often run out of water.
WJAC-TV in Pennsylvania reported a recent Tesla fire in Clearfield County took 12,000 gallons of water to extinguish.
The blaze took two hours to get under control as fire crews kept running out of water.
Officials in the area have been undergoing special training regarding putting out EV fires — including what to do with cars once the flames have been put out.
Some burning EVs that have been put out have reignited hours later, meaning finding somewhere to store them has to be taken into account.
I’ll take two....
Give them away for Christmas!....................
Come on red. They’ll eventually get it right. Plenty to improve on. We only need to remove subsidies so the improvements come faster.
Example-plastic surgery. It’s gotten better and cheaper at the same time. The same medical school graduates. No government involvement. Just people’s vanity. The horse left the barn on the rest of medicine. A president Trump could do the most fort electric cars where even freepers will come around.
But they’re saving the environment....
(/S)
Insurers will refuse to write policies on garages, both public and private. They'll refuse to insure car carriers, including ships. As fire departments bill insurers for the cost of putting out a car fire, insurers will drop the individual policy holders as well.
Sorry guys...water on lithium creates more intense fire.
I would suggest that when one of these things starts to cook off, BURY IT. The thing is already a total loss. So seriously, dig a hole and bury it.
In a month or two it should be done cooking. Saves Water!!!!
So when the New US Army successfully converts Abrams tanks to all electric and the tank gets hit with an RPG, how long will the fire burn?
And if an Abrams tank takes a hit anywhere, is it totaled?
inquiring minds ... asking for a friend ...
I am allergic to self combusting.
(The door locks are electrically operated...if the battery goes Kaboom...doors don't unlock..)
A friend of mine is a volunteer fireman. He told me that to put out an electric vehicle fire they fill a dumpster with water and lower the car into it and wait.
Okay, WHAT brand vehicle is this?
The article never says. It refers to a fire in PA with a Tesla. However, the article never says what vehicle brand and model caused this fire.
Wait till one of these things light up in a dry forest or range/grass land.
“I’ll take two....”
Good idea — that way if one is on fire, you take the other one that day.
Wet Sand! FINALLY !!
That only took 4 or 5 years.
What a dumpster fire the governments push for EVs have become.
If the secret is to lower the temp, why not CO2 fire extinguishers spewing dry ice. Not only would that cool it down better than H2O, the CO2 would starve the fire of O2.
I can’t wait until EV locomotives are either burning cities down or electrocuting persons on the tracks.
Yes they will figure it out. Not with these things though.
I suspect that something more like a Prius coming down the line.
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