Who's Winning America's Electric Vehicle Race?

[DrQ]

Ford recalls 350,000 SUVs including Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators amid fears they could catch FIRE or experience airbag failure

• Ford on Thursday announced the recall of 39,013 Expedition and Navigator SUVs in the United States, built between December 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021
• The vehicles are being recalled because there have been incidents of fires breaking out beneath the hood
• Of the 16 fires, 12 happened while the SUV engines were turned off, and owners have been told to park outside
• Earlier this week they issued two other recalls, including 310,000 2016 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks
• Those vehicles were recalled because of problems with airbags, including dust accumulating in the steering wheel - which causes them to disconnect
• Ford officials recently reported the company lost $3.1 billion over the past three months due to a shortage of semiconductor chips and investment in EVs

Ford recalls 350,000 SUVs because they could catch FIRE

Ford has recalled 39,000 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs due to a fire risk, and 310,000 heavy-duty trucks from 2016 because of an issue with their airbags.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

I'm waiting to see if Aptera makes it out the door.

 

[Passepartout]

I'm waiting to see if Aptera makes it out the door.

They're kinda cute, but categorized as a 'car', they would have to pass all kinds of regulatory stuff. Bumpers, crash worthiness, and the like. Maybe categorizing them like other 3-wheelers as an 'auto-cycle' might sidestep a lot of that- like a Polaris Slingshot does. Electrification of the whole auto industry is going to be darn interesting over the next few decades- and they're just barely scratching the surface now.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

They're kinda cute, but categorized as a 'car', they would have to pass all kinds of regulatory stuff. Bumpers, crash worthiness, and the like. Maybe categorizing them like other 3-wheelers as an 'auto-cycle' might sidestep a lot of that- like a Polaris Slingshot does. Electrification of the whole auto industry is going to be darn interesting over the next few decades- and they're just barely scratching the surface now.

Yes, they are considered an "auto-cycle". They are also considered to be hyper efficient, with a range per Kilowatt 2-4 times that of a Tesla.

 

[Carolinian]

Gasoline does not spontaneously combust like lithium. It has to have an ignition source, like a broken gas line spraying fuel on a very hot part of the engine or exhaust. Diesel is even less likely to ignite.

https://fossbytes.com/seven-tesla-cars-have-caught-fire-in-the-last-four-days/

https://boingboing.net/2022/05/24/a...eparate-incidents-over-the-weekend-video.html

https://insideevs.com/news/587800/tesla-owner-clarifies-details-model3-fire/

https://electrek.co/2022/05/23/tesla-model-y-caught-on-fire-break-the-window-to-get-out/

 

[DrQ]

Gasoline does not spontaneously combust like lithium. It has to have an ignition source, like a broken gas line spraying fuel on a very hot part of the engine or exhaust. Diesel is even less likely to ignite.

Apparently, you don't apply oil based finishes to wood:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/spontaneous-combustion

 

[Rolltydr]

Apparently, you don't apply oil based finishes to wood:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/spontaneous-combustion

So, you’re saying a scientific document is more informative than YouTube?

 

[MrockStar]

I saw a Bolt EV today on the way to work, it must have had the recall for the battery done because it wasn't on fire and was driving fine.

 

[DrQ]

I saw a Bolt EV today on the way to work, it must have had the recall for the battery done because it wasn't on fire and was driving fine.

PSSSSTTT: My Bolt EV hasn't had the battery replaced yet and it's not:

 

[MrockStar]

Don't park it in the garage, Ok. Stay safe.

 

[MrockStar]

PSSSSTTT: My Bolt EV hasn't had the battery replaced yet and it's not:

One of my favorite Jim Cary movies next to Dumb and dumber.

 

[Carolinian]

Don't park it in the garage, Ok. Stay safe.

Or, according to the GM advisory, within 50 feet of a building or another vehicle.

 

[MrockStar]

I feel safer now, after reading the GM safety bulletin.

 

[Carolinian]

Well, here's another one, in today's Daily Mail of London:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...rs-electronic-door-handles-didnt-pop-out.html

The doctor who was driving died of toxic fumes from his burning Tesla

 

[DrQ]

Well, here's another one, in today's Daily Mail of London:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...rs-electronic-door-handles-didnt-pop-out.html

The doctor who was driving died of toxic fumes from his burning Tesla

And those are operated by the 12V lead acid battery in the car.

That is a design flaw and has nothing to do with it being a BEV.

We had a Pontiac Grand Prix coupe that had a plastic assembly that connected the interior door lock mechanism so that you could manually unlock the door from the inside. The lobe to which the cable would connect would shear off. When that happened, you could only unlock the door from the inside with the power lock/unlock button. You could not get a replacement part and there was no fix for it.

The battery was in the very front of the car, so in a front end collision it would be destroyed. Since the car automatically locked the doors when you put it in drive, in a front end collision, you would be trapped in the car.

I considered having a functional replacement hogged out of aluminum, but I just got rid of the car. Another reason I would not own a Tesla.

 

[MrockStar]

And yet you bought another GM product, A Chevy Bolt? Dont get me wrong i own several my self and like them way better than Fords or Chryslers.

 

[MdRef]

 

[DrQ]

And yet you bought another GM product, A Chevy Bolt? Dont get me wrong i own several my self and like them way better than Fords or Chryslers.

I drove a 2 year prior model of the same car and was broadsided (t-boned) by a cement mixer running a red light at 50 mph on the driver's side. 'Nuff said.

 

[easyrider]

While many people will decide to go with a smaller ev ,my plan is to get a very large used low mile luxury vehicle for very little and enjoy the ride while ev's get sorted out.

Bill

 

[MrockStar]

I drove a 2 year prior model of the same car and was broadsided (t-boned) by a cement mixer running a red light at 50 mph on the driver's side. 'Nuff said.

Glad you made it.

 

[Carolinian]

And those are operated by the 12V lead acid battery in the car.

That is a design flaw and has nothing to do with it being a BEV.

We had a Pontiac Grand Prix coupe that had a plastic assembly that connected the interior door lock mechanism so that you could manually unlock the door from the inside. The lobe to which the cable would connect would shear off. When that happened, you could only unlock the door from the inside with the power lock/unlock button. You could not get a replacement part and there was no fix for it.

The battery was in the very front of the car, so in a front end collision it would be destroyed. Since the car automatically locked the doors when you put it in drive, in a front end collision, you would be trapped in the car.

I considered having a functional replacement hogged out of aluminum, but I just got rid of the car. Another reason I would not own a Tesla.

The thing that killed the doctor was the battery fire of the lithium battery.

As to not being able to get out of cars, that is a problem I have with many modern cars with electronic door locks and electric windows. I much prefer the hand operated wind-up windows and manual door locks of my '68 Cutlass convertible and '68 MGB. A former state legislator I knew here in eastern North Carolina always carried a hammer under his drivers seat so he could break a window to get out of the car if necessary. He had seen too many cases of cars going off the road into the roadside canals that are common in our area, and both the locks and windows would short out so everyone in the car was trapped and died.

 

[DrQ]

The thing that killed the doctor was the battery fire of the lithium battery.

As to not being able to get out of cars, that is a problem I have with many modern cars with electronic door locks and electric windows. I much prefer the hand operated wind-up windows and manual door locks of my '68 Cutlass convertible and '68 MGB. A former state legislator I knew here in eastern North Carolina always carried a hammer under his drivers seat so he could break a window to get out of the car if necessary. He had seen too many cases of cars going off the road into the roadside canals that are common in our area, and both the locks and windows would short out so everyone in the car was trapped and died.

A spring loaded center punch will shatter any side window, whether the vehicle is BEV, Hybrid, Hydrogen or ICE.

Leaking gasoline will pool under the vehicle. Does it make a difference whether it is smoke from a battery fire or burned to death by a gasoline fire? Dead is dead.