Shot in the Dark

Things On Your Bingo Card For 2024

Why, yes – this was on mine!

When a hurricane like Helene or Milton ravages coastal communities, already-strained first responders face a novel, and growing, threat: the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, e-bikes, and countless gadgets. When exposed to the salty water of a storm surge, they are at risk of bursting into flames — and taking an entire house with them.

“Anything that’s lithium-ion and exposed to salt water can have an issue,” said Bill Morelli, the fire chief in Seminole, Florida, and the bigger the battery, the greater the threat. That’s what makes EVs especially hazardous. “[The problem] has expanded as they continue to be more and more popular….”

“…“They burn hot, they burn fast, and they’re hard to extinguish,” Morelli said.

 

Can’t wait until someone does a comparative study about how EVs and gas cars compare when stranded in blizzards.

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Mitch Berg

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5 responses to “Things On Your Bingo Card For 2024”

  1. bikebubba Avatar
    bikebubba

    You don’t need to do a study about this. We have known for decades that salt air is horrible on electronics, which is why it’s part of the ordinary reliability testing any good electronics undergo. So for Tesla and such to have inadequate robustness vs. salt air and salt water is….really pretty inexcusable, because it’s one of the best known failure modes out there.

    Same basic thing for cold weather performance. We’ve known for over a century that Arrhenius deceleration at cold temperatures makes batteries work really poorly, and thus at -20F in a blizzard, there are few vehicles I’d like to be in less than a Tesla. Low range, low energy in the battery, when when you keep yourself and the battery dies, you’re left getting a tow back to the charging station–if it is indeed available. Word to the wise; if you’re driving in the winter in an electric, pack sleeping bags and a cold weather kit.

    Maybe we need to start telling people to stop researching what ought to be obvious.

  2. justplainangry Avatar
    justplainangry

    A law to be passed outlawing EV’s in favor of bicycles (already no more ICE) in three.. two… one… along with building more bike lanes and highrises to denisfy urban living. And then outlawing suburbs. Of course… all par for the course.

  3. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    Waittaminute… can’t we just pass a law forbidding the Arrhenius deceleration at cold temperatures? I mean, c’mon, (all progressives and their mouthpieces in the media believe) reality is malleable. Ergo, we just the ignore the parts that are inconvenient.

  4. bikebubba Avatar
    bikebubba

    JDM; great idea. Look up “Icarus” for how there are no consequences to ignoring the laws of chemistry and physics. :^)

  5. Starbuck Avatar
    Starbuck

    I’m guessing that not one Tesla dealership offered up this information to the buyers (in Florida), because they either were unaware, or didn’t want to scotch the deal with the news that salt water is a hazard. In Florida.

    Just curious….if salt water is a trigger, then what about all the salt and moisture in the air? Because, ya know, it is Florida…….

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