How many gallons of water does it take to put out a Tesla fire?

[Carolinian]

Fire crews use SIX THOUSAND gallons of water to extinguish Tesla fire

The Tesla caught on fire while the driver was on Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova on Saturday. Fire officials said that nothing was wrong with the car before it combusted.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[dioxide45]

Water is not the ideal option for putting out EV fires.

 

[MrockStar]

Too many :-/

 

[emeryjre]

6K gallons, Close to the amount the Kardashians use to water their landscaping every week.

 

[DrQ]

Why Teslas keep catching on fire​

EVs catch fire far less often than gas-powered cars, but firefighters still need to adapt.

Why Teslas keep catching on fire

EVs catch fire far less often than gas-powered cars, but firefighters still need to adapt.

www.vox.com

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Lithium combusts when water contacts it. Maybe they should have used dry powder, foam (to eliminate O2?), or something else.

 

[Carolinian]

Why Teslas keep catching on fire​

EVs catch fire far less often than gas-powered cars, but firefighters still need to adapt.

Why Teslas keep catching on fire

EVs catch fire far less often than gas-powered cars, but firefighters still need to adapt.

www.vox.com

There are A LOT more gas powered cars on the road, so, of course they would catch fire more often. With a gas powered car, you need two things generally for a fire, a gas leak and an ignition source like a hot surface. With an EV, you just need spontaneous combustion of lithium in the battery. Since diesel fuel does not catch fire very easily, it would be the safest of all.

The other thing with lithium is that when it burns, the fumes are highly toxic and it burns extremely hot.

 

[emeryjre]

There are A LOT more gas powered cars on the road, so, of course they would catch fire more often. With a gas powered car, you need two things generally for a fire, a gas leak and an ignition source like a hot surface. With an EV, you just need spontaneous combustion of lithium in the battery. Since diesel fuel does not catch fire very easily, it would be the safest of all.

The other thing with lithium is that when it burns, the fumes are highly toxic and it burns extremely hot.

It has always been obvious you are not an early adopter of new technology. Not only are you not an early adopter, you are a naysayer of early adoption.

Every step forward has rough spots. These rough spots get resolved and the new tech takes over. It will happen despite you pointing out the flaws at every opportunity.

 

[bluehende]

There are A LOT more gas powered cars on the road, so, of course they would catch fire more often. With a gas powered car, you need two things generally for a fire, a gas leak and an ignition source like a hot surface. With an EV, you just need spontaneous combustion of lithium in the battery. Since diesel fuel does not catch fire very easily, it would be the safest of all.

The other thing with lithium is that when it burns, the fumes are highly toxic and it burns extremely hot.

It might be nice to spend a few minutes researching before posting something that is untrue just because you want it to be true.

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/study-electric-vehicles-involved-in-fewest-car-fires/

The result? Hybrid-powered cars were involved in about 3,475 fires per every 100,000 sold. Gasoline-powered cars, about 1,530. Electric vehicles (EVs) saw just 25 fires per 100,000 sold.

 

[davidvel]

It might be nice to spend a few minutes researching before posting something that is untrue just because you want it to be trye.

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/study-electric-vehicles-involved-in-fewest-car-fires/

The result? Hybrid-powered cars were involved in about 3,475 fires per every 100,000 sold. Gasoline-powered cars, about 1,530. Electric vehicles (EVs) saw just 25 fires per 100,000 sold.

Why would he stop now?

 

[dioxide45]

The main issue with EVs is the mining of cobalt. Buying an EV means one supports it. The industry just hopes people don’t research it for themselves.

 

[emeryjre]

The main issue with EVs is the mining of cobalt. Buying an EV means one supports it. The industry just hopes people don’t research it for themselves.

The new battery chemistry has dramatically reduced the need for cobalt. The battery industry is well aware of the environmental and human cost of cobalt production. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are rough spots in the early designs. As time goes on, the rought spots are smoothed out and in many cases eliminated.

There are new battery design eliminating the need for Lithium. Sodium batteries are being produced by CATL, the largest manufacturer of Lithium batteries in the world. These new batteries have pros and cons compared to Lithium, but if CATL is making the investments, they must see more pros than cons.

 

[ScoopKona]

I'd like to say that this happens every time there is a drastic advance in technology. But it isn't true. People couldn't give up horse and buggies up fast enough -- they were sick of streets covered in horse [excrement] and vet bills. Converting carriage houses into human dwellings was one of the many beneficial side effects of giving up horses for horsepower.

I imagine there were a few luddites who hated the idea of giving up horse manure on every street in town. Manure shovelers, most likely. Just like today, not ironically.

 

[billymach4]

I'd like to say that this happens every time there is a drastic advance in technology. But it isn't true. People couldn't give up horse and buggies up fast enough -- they were sick of streets covered in horse [excrement] and vet bills. Converting carriage houses into human dwellings was one of the many beneficial side effects of giving up horses for horsepower.

I imagine there were a few luddites who hated the idea of giving up horse manure on every street in town. Manure shovelers, most likely. Just like today, not ironically.

Horse
Bull

 

[emeryjre]

I'd like to say that this happens every time there is a drastic advance in technology. But it isn't true. People couldn't give up horse and buggies up fast enough -- they were sick of streets covered in horse [excrement] and vet bills. Converting carriage houses into human dwellings was one of the many beneficial side effects of giving up horses for horsepower.

I imagine there were a few luddites who hated the idea of giving up horse manure on every street in town. Manure shovelers, most likely. Just like today, not ironically.

But the fires from gasoline!! You do understand how dangerous gasoline is. If your car suffered a cracked fuel line, you could have a vehicle fire. Never happened ith a horse drawn carriage. Any other benefit of motorcars were judged by the fire danger. Fortunately, there were forward thinkers that established new guidelines for the presence of gasoline in garages. Guess what, motorcars still have fire dangers with gasoline.

 

[PigsDad]

It might be nice to spend a few minutes researching before posting something that is untrue just because you want it to be true.

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/study-electric-vehicles-involved-in-fewest-car-fires/

The result? Hybrid-powered cars were involved in about 3,475 fires per every 100,000 sold. Gasoline-powered cars, about 1,530. Electric vehicles (EVs) saw just 25 fires per 100,000 sold.

Don't bother@Carolinian with facts; it just confuses his old, dusty brain.

Kurt

 

[Brett]

It might be nice to spend a few minutes researching before posting something that is untrue just because you want it to be true.

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/study-electric-vehicles-involved-in-fewest-car-fires/

The result? Hybrid-powered cars were involved in about 3,475 fires per every 100,000 sold. Gasoline-powered cars, about 1,530. Electric vehicles (EVs) saw just 25 fires per 100,000 sold.

Don't bother@Carolinian with facts; it just confuses his old, dusty brain.

Kurt

yes ... also the OP has a "political" motive.
A certain (unmentionable) former politician reality TV entertainer is now trashing electric vehicles

 

[Carolinian]

The main issue with EVs is the mining of cobalt. Buying an EV means one supports it. The industry just hopes people don’t research it for themselves.

The Daily Mail of London had an article on that today:

Harrowing images of cobalt mines in Congo where kids dig for $2-a-day

A new series of images taken from inside cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo raise uncomfortable questions for American tech companies claiming to be 'clean'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Carolinian]

yes ... also the OP has a "political" motive.
A certain (unmentionable) former politician reality TV entertainer is now trashing electric vehicles

You are the one who wants to drag politics into everything. And your guess on my choice for the next election happens to be WRONG. When my news sources are major British newspapers, you try to make this about American politics?

When GM recalled their Chevy Bolt EV due to the propensity of its lithium battery to spontaneously combust, they warned customers who kept the cars not to park them within 50 feet of a building or another car. I have never seen a similar warning on a gasoline powered car recall.

And it is not only lithium batteries in electric cars that spontaneously combust. It is happening with lithium batteries in scooters, buses, even grid scale battery storage. The last one has gone up in Belgium, Australia, Korea, and California. Buses have gone up in France, the US, and Korea.

 

[davidvel]

You are the one who wants to drag politics into everything. And your guess on my choice for the next election happens to be WRONG. When my news sources are major British newspapers, you try to make this about American politics?

When GM recalled their Chevy Bolt EV due to the propensity of its lithium battery to spontaneously combust, they warned customers who kept the cars not to park them within 50 feet of a building or another car. I have never seen a similar warning on a gasoline powered car recall.

And it is not only lithium batteries in electric cars that spontaneously combust. It is happening with lithium batteries in scooters, buses, even grid scale battery storage. The last one has gone up in Belgium, Australia, Korea, and California. Buses have gone up in France, the US, and Korea.

Well, "there you go again..."

Subaru warns Ascent owners to park outside due to fire risk

Subaru is recalling 271,694 2019–2022 Ascent SUVs due to faulty heater wiring.

arstechnica.com

 

[DrQ]

When GM recalled their Chevy Bolt EV due to the propensity of its lithium battery to spontaneously combust, they warned customers who kept the cars not to park them within 50 feet of a building or another car. I have never seen a similar warning on a gasoline powered car recall.

16 cars out of 100,000+ units

 

[x3 skier]

The only thing I worry about this rush to electrify everything vs fossils fuel is the state of the electric grid. Barely keeping up with today’s load.

 

[emeryjre]

The Daily Mail of London had an article on that today:

Harrowing images of cobalt mines in Congo where kids dig for $2-a-day

A new series of images taken from inside cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo raise uncomfortable questions for American tech companies claiming to be 'clean'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Cobalt Production by Country 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

Cobalt and the Congo has been a human rights issue for as long as I can remember. Like the 1960's. It is great for a new group of people develop an interest in this horrendous story.

I posted a link to an article about world cobalt production, Interestingly enough, within the first few paragraphs it talks about Tesla changing it's battery technology.to eliminate cobalt from the process. Again, Telsa and other battery manufacturers NO LONGER use cobalt.

Another article on the removal of cobalt from EV batteries. This one highlights US Energy Department involvement in the process.

Cobalt Banished From New Electric Vehicle Batteries

A new lithium-ion electric vehicle battery ditches cobalt for high performance without the supply chain risk baggage.

cleantechnica.com

 

[Carolinian]

Cobalt Production by Country 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

Cobalt and the Congo has been a human rights issue for as long as I can remember. Like the 1960's. It is great for a new group of people develop an interest in this horrendous story.

I posted a link to an article about world cobalt production, Interestingly enough, within the first few paragraphs it talks about Tesla changing it's battery technology.to eliminate cobalt from the process. Again, Telsa and other battery manufacturers NO LONGER use cobalt.

Another article on the removal of cobalt from EV batteries. This one highlights US Energy Department involvement in the process.

Cobalt Banished From New Electric Vehicle Batteries

A new lithium-ion electric vehicle battery ditches cobalt for high performance without the supply chain risk baggage.

cleantechnica.com

Since China dominates the production of EV batteries, somehow I just do not see that happening.

How China Dominates Global Battery Supply Chain

Beijing is in the driver’s seat for a battery-powered future

www.voanews.com

 

[Carolinian]

The only thing I worry about this rush to electrify everything vs fossils fuel is the state of the electric grid. Barely keeping up with today’s load.

Already, it is costing more to charge EV's in the UK than to fill up a conventional car with petrol and Switzerland has announced that it will ban charging of EV's when the grid is strained.

The electric grid issue becomes even worse in that reliable and cheap sources of electricity are being sidelined for expensive and unreliable wind and solar. Intermittant sources of power cannot be relied upon for base load. That is a recipe for blackouts, brownouts, and very high electric bills.