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Fischer Presses NTSB Chair on Safety Risks of EVs, Dangers to First Responders
Senator Deborah Fischer YouTube channel ^ | 3/8/2024 | Senator Deborah Fischer (R-NE)

Posted on 03/09/2024 4:58:01 AM PST by Republican Wildcat

Fischer: Last year the University of Nebraska at Lincoln campus conducted a first of its kind crash test of an electric pickup truck to study whether current Highway guard rails adequately protect against the growing number of those heavy EVS that are on our roads. At 60 miles per hour the 7,000 lb electric truck tore through the barrier without offering any protection to the traveling public or reduction in speed. I've recently heard from First Responders that are also concerned about responding to electric vehicle fires. 40% of firefighters have never had EV fire safety training and I've heard of instances of more water needed to extinguish vehicle batteries and the increase in those toxic gases from the lithium batteries. What has NTSB found in its investigations on the EV crashes that are unique compared to the internal combustion engines have you have you begun to condense that data so it can it educate us on what's happening here?

NTSB Chair: Yes. Just a few years ago we issued a report on the risks of lithium ion battery fires and electric vehicles to First Responders and to Second responders - and we Define second responders in the report as tow truck operators. We had done a number of investigations where there were significant risk to the First Responders in terms of stranded energy in the vehicle and in the battery and its components itself - the amount of work it took to extinguish the fires and the potential for shock to emergency responders themselves. In fact we did an investigation in Mountain View California where the First Responders had to reach out to the auto manufacturer to ask them to come to the scene of the crash was. They were just they were lucky they were three miles away, but if you think about volunteer firefighters who may be in a rural area that's not something that's readily at their ability to get people on scene. In this particular one we saw reignition several times of the electric vehicle and we have with others not just on the scene but also on the tow truck and up to five days later in the tow yard itself. So they are a significant risk in terms of battery fire.

NTSB Chair: There's significant risk in terms for emergency responders and while we have not done an investigation involving electric vehicles and the weight, I have raised a red flag numerous times to say it is an impact on safety. You mentioned the excellent work that was done by the University of Nebraska - our guard rails crash attenuators they are rated up to 5,000 lbs. Many of these vehicles go up to 10,000 lbs. One vehicle the ion battery alone weighs the same weight as a Honda Civic - 3,000 lbs - so that has an impact on safety not just on infrastructure making sure that people in the vehicles are safe after there is a crash but vehicle to vehicle, to those outside of a vehicle, and as I said vehicle to infrastructure. It's going to have a significant impact on safety.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; Travel
KEYWORDS: automotive; electric; electricvehicles; evs; fire; ntsb; safety; senate
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CWUbIn8RUI

Another example of how these vehicles were pushed out well before they were ready for prime time (if they ever will be). But the technology is still too large (weight) and needs further development in that regard, and in regard to reducing fire risks...the fumes from these fires is hardly lacking in "greenhouse gases." The EV drivers - and everyone else around them - is at greater risk.

1 posted on 03/09/2024 4:58:01 AM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: Republican Wildcat

What’s going to happen to all the old battery packs?

Supposed v reality….


2 posted on 03/09/2024 5:09:44 AM PST by EEGator
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To: Republican Wildcat
FWIW, our EV crossover weighs about 10% more than the ICE crossover it replaced, yet weighs less than our 6-cyl ICE pickup.

I don't know about other EV's. I just know about mine from when I made a list of pro's and con's of choosing one of our cars to be an EV when it was time to replace our ICE crossover anyway. Thus, I assumed getting an EV that's 10% heavier would mean 10% more wear and tear on tires.

But that's free market thinking on whether or not to get an EV. Not how the control-freak Dims push EV's.

3 posted on 03/09/2024 5:23:13 AM PST by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: Tell It Right

EV…free market…


4 posted on 03/09/2024 5:43:11 AM PST by EEGator
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To: EEGator

20 months and 45K miles


5 posted on 03/09/2024 5:50:10 AM PST by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: Tell It Right

I’m just pointing out your fallacious argument.


6 posted on 03/09/2024 5:52:03 AM PST by EEGator
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To: Tell It Right

Did you grab the tax break on your EV?

That’s not free market. That’s government market distortion.


7 posted on 03/09/2024 5:59:35 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
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To: Republican Wildcat

I understand that Angela Chao was driving an EV when she drove it into the Texas lake where she drowned. The thought that occurred to me is that this is another risk associated with EVs where the heavy battery packs turn the EVs in a big rock which sinks immediately in water. This coupled with the fact that water can short out the battery pack and cause an inextinguishable fire. I read that the tow truck operators were afraid of electrical shock when they winched the vehicle out of the lake.


8 posted on 03/09/2024 6:06:04 AM PST by iontheball
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To: EEGator; Republican Wildcat; Tell It Right; ProtectOurFreedom; iontheball
I am not anti-EV. I would love to see technology progress to where EVs are viable, but as currently constituted, they are NOT. If an individual buyer has to go only 20-30 miles a day, and that is it, they don't drive out of state, etc. apart from the risk to others on a ferry or a parking garage, if it works for them, I don't criticize, although they do take other taxpayer's monies, which I resent.

There has to be something going on behind the scenes with insurance of EVs that we are unaware of.

There has to be.

Some kind of deals with insurance companies where the government pays subsidies to insurance companies or allows them to refuse to cover certain types of things like battery damage or fires.

Sure, EVs are a smaller share of the market, so overall, insurance payouts to ICE vehicle owners are sure to be larger, but with the things mentioned in article (that those of us who are honest and pay attention to) would demand higher insurance premiums for EVs at best, and at worst, denial to cover EVs at all.

We had a car fire in a hospital garage located under the hospital near me back in December, and they had to evacuate the hospital, all the patients, etc. It had all the hallmarks of an EV fire. Difficulty putting the fire out, extended time, toxic gases (I know-all car fires emit toxic gasses), etc.

All the news articles in my Leftist state say nothing about the vehicle. Since then, I have been watching for the release of the full report on the fire, but have seen nothing.

There is guy on YouTube from Australia (MGUY Australia) who is an Engineer and car enthusiast, and his excellent YouTube channel has dozens of videos on why Electric Vehicles are a non-viable technology as currently constituted.

He covers everything from the physics and battery construction to insurability. Here are some excellent ones:

These videos are very well done, by someone who understands the fundamental problems and the science behind them.

9 posted on 03/09/2024 6:42:07 AM PST by rlmorel (In Today's Democrat America, The $5 Dollar Bill is the New $1 Dollar Bill.)
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To: Republican Wildcat

I know a kid who was a firefighter in Florida when hurricane Idalia hit. They had to move the water soaked EV’s into an isolated area. They eventually caught fire and burned up because of the saltwater shorted out the batteries. They had to just let them burn.


10 posted on 03/09/2024 7:06:41 AM PST by wjcsux (On 3/14/1883 Karl Marx gave humanity his best gift, he died. )
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To: EEGator
What’s going to happen to all the old battery packs?

Assuming they are still somewhat functional, some may end up in home energy storage systems like this...

Do you want this in your garage?

11 posted on 03/09/2024 7:39:35 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Nothing says "Democracy" like throwing your opponents into jail.)
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To: Fresh Wind

I’ve always dreamed of dying in a house fire...

Many will end up in dumps with mercury filled light bulbs.


12 posted on 03/09/2024 7:41:56 AM PST by EEGator
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To: wjcsux

My fourth grade Science project was showing how a bulb was brighter in the high salinity medium.
Who could have planned that salt and water would occur on roads?...


13 posted on 03/09/2024 7:44:20 AM PST by EEGator
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To: EEGator

Considering how the old blades from wind turbines end up in landfills...


14 posted on 03/09/2024 7:47:42 AM PST by Cold_Red_Steel
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To: Cold_Red_Steel

Yep. The Green lie is massive and known by anyone with some knowledge(STEM) and above room temp IQ.


15 posted on 03/09/2024 7:52:15 AM PST by EEGator
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To: EEGator

“Yep. The Green lie is massive and known by anyone with some knowledge(STEM) and above room temp IQ.”

It sure is. I took my first semester of Engineering Thermodynamics during the first “energy crisis” in 1973. During that time, all of the liberals were claiming that solar was going to save us. We had a class exercise that showed that this was not even remotely feasible.


16 posted on 03/09/2024 8:09:16 AM PST by wjcsux (On 3/14/1883 Karl Marx gave humanity his best gift, he died. )
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To: wjcsux

It’s not even close, and energy demand is increasing at a far greater clip than generation capacity.

The reality of scientific fundamentals will always win.


17 posted on 03/09/2024 8:14:37 AM PST by EEGator
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To: wjcsux

And what was the “carbon footprint” for something like that?


18 posted on 03/09/2024 9:24:06 AM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: Republican Wildcat
NTSB Chair: There's significant risk in terms for emergency responders and while we have not done an investigation involving electric vehicles and the weight, I have raised a red flag numerous times to say it is an impact on safety. You mentioned the excellent work that was done by the University of Nebraska - our guard rails crash attenuators they are rated up to 5,000 lbs.

Ford Explorer Gross Weight: 5-6000 lbs

4 Runner Gross Weight: 6100-6300 lbs

Pathfinder Gross Weight: 5900-6063

Grand Cherokee Gross Weight: 6050

Ford F-150 Gross Weight: 4200-5700

*****

Point being these vehicles also exceed the guard rails crash attenuators.

19 posted on 03/09/2024 9:57:10 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: Republican Wildcat

Wait till your local crackhead figures out that there is a couple bucks worth of copper in the charger cords……..


20 posted on 03/09/2024 11:30:58 AM PST by Species8472 (Don't celebrate sin!)
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