Electric car burns down model's house and pets

http://www.pagesix.com/pagesix/pagesix.htm ^

[Jeff Chandler]

Pressurized hydrogen will be fun, too.

[IncPen]

Is she blond?

[BADROTOFINGER]

The Matrix has flickered for just an instance for this woman. I wonder if she will figure out the truth...JFK

[Uni-Poster]

[Uni-Poster]

"I'm kind of like a dumb model." -Veronica Webb, trying to convince us that she's not as intelligent as we think.

Her quote, not mine

[LloydofDSS]

>>"Electric cars and golf carts are always overloading their chargers and burning up, but no one knows about it." <<

A very nebulous non-technical statement. There are so many ways to prevent this kind of thing using modern electronics that it is a shame this is happening. It almost makes me think the car makers want this technology to fail.

[L.N. Smithee]

No.

[L.N. Smithee]

I got a junk mail ad for the Gem, and it looks like a flippin' golf cart. It's hard for me to believe that a supermodel would drive one, since models mostly tend to be coquettish when not at work.

[weegee]

So her car is "good for the environment"? How does she recharge her car? Electricity from her wall socket? Where does that come from? How is it generated?

Can more power plants be built to handle the increased need if we end our use of oil?

2 words. Pipe dream. We don't have enough power plants as it is.

Can we include the pollution caused by her burning house?

[L.N. Smithee]

>>"Electric cars and golf carts are always overloading their chargers and burning up, but no one knows about it." <<

A very nebulous non-technical statement.

It's the gut reaction from a firefighter who apparently has been through this before. What do you want from him?

[weegee]

...might have survived if Webb's Gem had been the only electronic device that malfunctioned that night. "Our $4,000 fire alarm system never went off," she says. "All of us blindly trust our fire detectors, and I would hate to see this happen to anyone else."

Always routinely test your smoke detector and fire alarm system.

[weegee]

Do they make an electric limo yet?

[DB]

My wife tests ours all the time. She does it without even pushing the button...

[SAJ]

THOROUGHLY blond in spirit, at least.

[Redcloak]

The Electric Pinto...

[snopercod]

"We got the car because it was supposed to be great for the environment, but no one ever warns you how dangerous they are,"

She's blonde, isn't she.

[mn12]

I wonder how many miles you'd have to drive in a typical gas-engine car to equal the emissions put out by her burnt-down house?

That said, there's no reason for the car's charger to be such a piece of junk that it would overheat and catch fire. Don't those things have overcurrent and thermal protection?!

[technochick99]

"They said they see this kind of thing with electric cars all the time,"

Well, if that truly is the case, where the hack is the media?!?

I feel most sorry for poor Hercules.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Among the hidden dangers, Webb says, were four hidden high-powered batteries. "There are four extra batteries that aren't shown in the [owner's manual] diagram. They need to be serviced but you can't service them if you don't even know that they're there."

From gemcar's webpage under the service button.

Your GEM has 6 batteries - two under the hood and four under the seat. To keep batteries in good working condition, check the water level at least once a month. Remove the tops off the batteries with a flat head screwdriver to find 6 cells per battery. The water level should be 1/2-inch above the plates. Do not fill to the top of the batteries, this could cause damage to your batteries and the surrounding parts by over filling. Add distilled water only after charging unless the water level is below the top of the plates. In this case, add just enough distilled water to cover the plates, charge and then check the water level again.

Battery Level
(Caution: Always wear protective clothing, gloves, and eye protection when handling batteries.)
The GEM is NOT a maintenance free vehicle. There are certain parts of the vehicle the user is responsible to maintain. Did you know there are a total of six batteries in your vehicle, two under the hood and four under the seat? Checking water levels at least once a month is a must, and in very hot climates or under heavy use the levels should be checked more often. Using a flat head screwdriver pry off the tops of the batteries and look inside to see the water levels. If the water levels are found to be low, charge the vehicle first, then add distilled water no higher than the bottom of the neck opening (1/2 inch above plates). Overfilling will cause batteries to boil and spill onto the floor. The only time you should add water first is when the water level is below the plates. In this case add water until it covers the plates, then charge and check water levels again. Check all battery connections monthly to ensure they are tight and free of corrosion. If corrosion starts to appear wash tops and terminals of batteries with a solution of baking soda and water (1 cup baking soda per gallon of water). Let terminals dry and then spray them with anti-corrosion spray.

All this information is in the online PDF owners manual too.

Looks like Webb's open statements to the press have prolly voided any warranty and/or damage claims she might have had.