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Then perhaps you shouldn't single out EV's. In fact, Hybrids are the worst when it comes to fires. EV's have the least fires. This is based on per 100K vehicles sold.
Albeit the issue with Hybrids is similar - you're dealing with a chemical fire of lithium-ion batteries.
That said - how much of a "risk" is this really? How much time/effort are you willing to put into this? You would determine that by conducting an objective risk assessment. Which doesn't include buying into media hype or promotional materials.
Chances are - the inherent risk of an EV fire is probably still less than the residual risk of other events your hospital faces.
It'd be like saying " cars have been known to go through the roofs of houses. So let's make sure that every house can withstand cars landing on them AND make sure first responders always have cranes to extract them!"
Is it a real risk? Yes. Is it a SMALL risk? Again, yes.
Wouldn’t it be better to have some big blast of carbon dioxide to take the O2 out? Starve the fire and then foam it?
The issue is heat. Foam and water both put out the fire but until the heat in the battery is dispersed, it can reignite. As most EV batteries are in the floor under the passenger compartment, soaking from above doesn't offer enough cooling.
One company has come up with a fire hose attachment that slides under the car, pierces the battery case, and delivers water directly into the battery case to cool it down. It uses much less water and can cool the battery down relatively quickly.
One is that, as I understand it, there is training to put out different kinds of fires, so as EVs become more popular and widespread, it probably is a good idea to add it to the repertoire. I have no qualms about that.
The other thing to note is that unfortunately the fire risk of EVs seems to be given a lot more attention than would seem warranted given that fires for ICE vehicles are more common not just at the overall greater numbers level but also at a per vehicle/per capita level so it would seem that if the EV fire risk is too high, then it's even more so for ICE vehicles, but there seems to be far less worry about that.
Vehicle fires are twice as common with hybrids than ICEs, but not all that common in EVs.
Ice fires tend to be from leaking lubricants, not fuel, often self limited and don't burn very hot. Gasoline, BTW, is fairly hard to ignite and the liquid & fumes are not explosive, contrary to popular myth. That's why you need a carburetor or injector to turn the liquid into a droplet aerosol for ignition/explosion.
EV fires are much harder to deal with and therefore cause more damage. They do not depend on oxygen, but are chemical oxydation/reduction reactions that are highly exergonic (they get real hot).
All technology carries it;s own burden of risks. We need to deal with that....The point that an EV fire can be hot enough and endure long enough to cause structural damage to a large parking garage is a significant concern....Simple solution? No parking indoors.
It's a very SMALL risk vs. gas cars. And the overblown consideration comes, yes, from EV hatred.
Not at all....Fires occur in only 25 EVs of every 100,000 units sold each year, but if EV sales replace ICE sales (~20Million/yr) that's 5000 BAD fires a year.
Rational attention to the problem is required, not blind GooseStepping in time with the narrative.
Not at all....Fires occur in only 25 EVs of every 100,000 units sold each year, but if EV sales replace ICE sales (~20Million/yr) that's 5000 BAD fires a year.
Rational attention to the problem is required, not blind GooseStepping in time with the narrative.
Oh, 5000 fires vs 280,000 fires and the lower number is the bad one? Give me a break.
No EVs here, but that's ok for you, right?
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