Posted on 01/25/2025 12:16:03 PM PST by BenLurkin
An electric vehicle caught fire in Ojai on Saturday, prompting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in a nearby residential area.
The vehicle, the maker of which not identified, caught fire due to thermal runway, according to the fire department. Thermal runway, a “challenging and hazardous condition,” is a process that occurs when a battery uncontrollably reaches high temperatures incredibly quickly.
The department said the safest approach to such a blaze is to let it burn in a controlled environment. Direct extinguishment can exacerbate the fire, authorities said.
The orders were expected to last about 3 hours.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
I cannot tell you how many car fires I responded to during my career. Typically, we had them extinguished in a couple minutes; when the tow truck arrived a few minutes later my crew and I helped the driver load the damaged car on to the tow truck. Then off they went...
Even hybrids started to throw a wrench into this years ago. All of a sudden, we had high voltage batteries in the mix. If they were not already somehow discharged by the fire, there was the possibility of a fatal shock from squirting water on a battery that ranged from 100v to 650v. And how do you test to make sure that this hazard is now safe?
And now these electric vehicles have batteries which typically weigh from 1000 to 2000 or more pounds and can burn for days putting out noxious fumes. It can be a nightmare for firefighters and people in the surrounding area.
And no, with all the fires I went to... I never saw a Hollywood style explosion from a burning car or truck that had a gas tank.
My son had an old beater truck that caught fire. He got his stuff out except for some spare ammo. The video of the 9mm cooking off was pretty cool.
At the end of the day he wasn’t even all that late for work.
What is it with lithium? Is there some government or regulatory incentive to use this stuff, or are corporations simply too cheap to use something more stable?
I didn’t know hybrid batteries had that many volts.
Not like the usual 12 volt car battery. Highly efficient and not lethal at all.
Runaway.
It’s called thermal runaway.
I elevate phone off table so heat vents away properly. If flat on a surface or between clothing layers you can expect higher temps
In this case it is pretty much “settled”.
Believe “The Science
Rocket are still blowing up and many other things on the fail chart a flaw in the system
Whenever an EV bursts into an uncontrollable fire like this one, there are always people quick to remark about “how rare” such incidents are. Perhaps they are uncommon, but the fact that this kind of fire is so hard to contain and extinguish, remains a major concern and ever present hazard.
That’s what I’m wondering as well.
Can we PLEASE retire “shelter-in-place”? How about using plain English: “cower wherever you are”...
Does “shelter-in-place”include setting the Claymores on the perimeter?
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Funny you say that. I’ve set up many NDP’s with Claymores. It was over 50 years ago, though.
There’s that video where this guy gets into an elevator carrying the battery to his EV scooter - it starts smoking and in almost an instant a huge fireball erupts from the battery immolating the guy. Graphic.
Prius Hybrid - 206 volts
Ford F-150 Hybrid - 274 volts
Escape Plug-In Hybrid - 300 volts
Manufacturers have been increasing the size and capacity of Hybrid batteries and calling them Plug-In Hybrids.
The manufacturers are also increasing the voltage of Electric cars from around 400 volts to 800 volts. Which voltage do you think is more dangerous?
“Porsche, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia and Audi already offer EVs with 800-volt battery systems. Volvo, Polestar and Lotus have also committed to 800-volt architectures. Hitachi Automotive Systems is starting mass production of its 800-volt battery system.” Tesla is the one major manufacturer which is holding out at 400 volts.
https://www.engineering.com/high-voltage-vehicles-why-800-volt-evs-are-on-the-rise/
I know people both on this forum and other friends and acquaintances who use and like electric vehicles even with their limitations and possible hazards. I do not know one who didn't make the decision without some type of incentive sweetening the pot. Tesla is the only major manufacturer in the American market which has been profitable for the past 3 or 4 years. The rest have all lost $Billions even with heavy government subsidies.
A report says Ford is losing more than $100,000 on each EV.
Ford is reducing spending on EV plans by $12 billion.
Ford is estimated to lose $5.5 billion from its Model e division in 2024.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/06/18/heres-the-staggering-amount-of-money-ford-loses-on/
This is what happens when the government tries to pick winners and losers in the marketplace.
By filling the environment with lithium they fight the depressive part of bipolar disorders.
Happy now?
“Happy now?”
LOL
I see what you did there....
Thank you, it’s nice to be appreciated!
Does that mean that you should park your EV in a dumpster just in case?
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
Thermal runway? A hot landing strip?
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