Electric car burns down model's house and pets

VERONICA Webb's eco-friendly electric car turned into a fire-spewing death machine the other night, burning down her Key West house and killing her beloved dog, Hercules. Despite her long devotion to various green causes, the six-month pregnant supermodel says she's through with electric cars after her Chrysler Gem overloaded while charging late last Monday night, sending flames through her air conditioning system and consuming everything in its wake.

"We got the car because it was supposed to be great for the environment, but no one ever warns you how dangerous they are," Webb tells PAGE SIX's Ian Spiegelman.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene told Webb that good intentions often turn lovely homes into blazing death zones. "They said they see this kind of thing with electric cars all the time," she says. "Electric cars and golf carts are always overloading their chargers and burning up, but no one knows about it."

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."

Luckily, Webb was in New York shopping for baby furniture when the blaze erupted, but her new husband, Wall Streeter turned amateur archaeologist George Robb, was asleep in bed. He barely escaped with his life. "By the time the fire department showed up, they didn't even go inside to look for survivors because they assumed that anyone left inside was long dead. They said George got out with 30 seconds to spare."

Her devoted long-haired dachshund, 8-year-old Hercules, was not so lucky. "At first George called me saying Hercules had gotten out and was okay. Then he started saying he was cold. He wasn't breathing. He couldn't survive in that smoke."

Hercules, who had a cameo role in Ben Stiller's "Zoolander," 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."

Webb says that after her insurance company contacted Chrysler, the automaker set up several appointments to inspect the wreckage, but never showed up and never called to reschedule. A Chrysler spokesman did not return our calls.

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.

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