Electric car fire hazard?

[TravelGal]

A friend just posted this from Jalopnik. Any comments? https://jalopnik.com/fighting-an-electric-vehicle-fire-is-still-a-new-and-da-1833540519?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=jalopnik_facebook&utm_campaign=bottom&fbclid=IwAR23usxF6_I4axugNUiwtyKyVH8EnaZC7cVSxayFW OQZ8RSTVicTi2l5quA

[nrc]

I don't know if anyone has done the stats on the incidence of battery files and extrapolated them out to what that looks like when EVs become more than a small fraction of the fleet. Seems like fire fighter's jobs are secure.

EV fans dismiss it as no more common than traditional vehicle fires, but I don't know if anyone has done the real stats on that. It seems like the amount of time it takes to put these out and the risk of re-ignition makes them two different things.

[opinionated ow]

I don't know if anyone has done the stats on the incidence of battery files and extrapolated them out to what that looks like when EVs become more than a small fraction of the fleet. Seems like fire fighter's jobs are secure.

EV fans dismiss it as no more common than traditional vehicle fires, but I don't know if anyone has done the real stats on that. It seems like the amount of time it takes to put these out and the risk of re-ignition makes them two different things.

I can't even remember the last time I saw a petrol car catch on fire when it's just sitting there. A long time since I've seen a petrol or diesel car catch fire after an accident either. Electric cars seem to just spontaneously combust for fun. Li ion batteries are the answer to nothing.

[Elmo T]

Meh - it is different. No more or less hazardous than a car with 20 gallons of gas onboard.

The stats will show themselves over time - too early for the national reporting system for fires to pull that all in. Locally - I've not seen one nor have I heard of one in the region. And we have a fair number of Tesla's in the Philly burbs here.

The change is the battery. A Lithium battery fire is NOT a gasoline fire. There are also LNG fueled trucks and Hydrogen Fuel cell. We will figure it out. We will change tactics and use new fire suppression materials.

From a response end - when air bags (finally) became standard - we went through hours and hours of training on what to do if the air bag did not deploy. How do we protect ourselves? How do we cut someone out of car? Folks invented all sorts of stupid crap. In the end, it was a non-issue. The fire service figured it out and moved on.

All you want to know about alternative fuel vehicles here:

NFPA's Alternative Fuel Vehicles Safety Training (https://www.nfpa.org/training-and-events/by-topic/alternative-fuel-vehicle-safety-training)

Emergency response guides for 30 different vehicles:

https://www.nfpa.org/training-and-events/by-topic/alternative-fuel-vehicle-safety-training/emergency-response-guides