{"id":2020516,"date":"2023-09-02T19:20:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T23:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/electric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn\/"},"modified":"2023-09-02T19:21:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T23:21:54","slug":"electric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/electric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn\/","title":{"rendered":"Authorities issue warning: Saltwater exposure can cause electric vehicles to ignite."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felectric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2020516&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Hurricane Idalia \u200dand Electric Vehicle Fire Risk in Florida<\/h2>\n<p>Hurricane\u2063 Idalia and subsequent\u200c floods have created a concerning situation for electric vehicle (EV) owners in Florida. According to statements from the Palm Harbor Fire Rescue (PHFR), batteries exposed to saltwater become \u200dsusceptible to combustion, posing a fire \u200crisk.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWARNING. If you own \u2064a hybrid or electric vehicle that \u2064has come\u200d into \u2064contact with saltwater due to recent flooding within the last 24 hours, it is crucial to relocate the\u2064 vehicle from your garage without delay. Saltwater\u2063 exposure can trigger\u200d combustion in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/electric-vehicles-struggle-to-hold-up-amid-heat-wave-roasting-us\/\" title=\"EVs struggle in US heat wave.\">lithium-ion\u2063 batteries<\/a>. If possible, transfer your vehicle\u2062 to \u2063higher ground,\u201d PHFR \u200dadvised in an \u2064Aug. 31 Facebook \u200bpost.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis includes golf carts and electric scooters. Don\u2019t drive these through\u2062 water. PHFR crews have seen numerous\u200c residents out in\u200d golf carts and children on scooters riding through water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>EV Fires\u200b and the Lingering Danger of Saltwater<\/h3>\n<p>The issue with saltwater is that even\u2063 if the water dries off, the residue can remain, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/electric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn\/\" title=\"Authorities issue warning: Saltwater exposure can cause electric vehicles to ignite.\">potentially triggering electrical connections<\/a> within the EV\u2063 battery, which\u2064 eventually sparks into a fire. PHFR highlighted two Tesla EVs in Dunedin that had caught\u2064 fire as\u200c examples of this risk.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) \u2064and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis had previously warned citizens about the fire hazard\u2063 posed\u200d by saltwater in electric vehicles. He emphasized that these fires are not easily suppressed and can\u2064 only be managed\u2064 by keeping water \u200bon the battery until\u2063 the fuel burns out.<\/p>\n<h3>Delayed Fire Threat and Lack \u2063of Awareness<\/h3>\n<p>It is important to note that \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/outdated-solar-panels-wind-turbines-electric-car-batteries-will-clog-landfills-with-hazardous-waste-according-to-new-report\/\" title=\"Outdated Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Electric Car Batteries Will Clog Landfills With Hazardous Waste According To New Report\">lithium-ion batteries<\/a> do\u2064 not necessarily catch\u200b fire immediately\u2062 after being exposed to water. \u2062Instead, fires can break out days or even weeks later. Many EV owners are unaware \u2062of the risks \u200bthat floods pose to their vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Patrick Olsen, spokesperson for Carfax, which sells new and used vehicles, explained, \u201cI have heard EV owners say, &#8216;I don&#8217;t have an \u200dengine\u2063 that \u2062can be flooded \u200bso \u2063I can drive in deep water.&#8217; \u200dThat&#8217;s not the \u2064case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PHFR training chief\u200d Jason Haynes\u2064 shared an\u200c incident where a submerged Tesla\u2062 suddenly burst into flames while\u2064 being \u2064towed by fire \u2064crews.<\/p>\n<h2>Understanding EV Battery Fires and Tesla&#8217;s Guidance<\/h2>\n<p>Lithium-ion batteries in\u200d EVs consist of groups of cells packed inside a compartment, along with a flammable \u2062liquid electrolyte. These batteries can contain \u200dup to \u20641,000\u2063 times more cells compared to e-bikes.<\/p>\n<p>When water enters an EV battery, it can trigger a \u2063short circuit, causing the cells\u2064 to discharge \u2063energy and heat. This can lead\u2063 to a dangerous situation\u200d called\u200b &#8220;thermal runaway,&#8221; where the heat spreads from one cell to another, resulting in an outburst.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Barth, \u200cchief of \u200dthe special investigations branch of highway safety at the National Transportation \u2064Safety Board, explained, \u201cIf you have a damaged lithium-ion battery and it has energy which remains in the battery\u2063 pack,\u200b we call that stranded energy \u2026 If\u2063 you initiate a \u2062thermal runaway or venting \u200cof \u200dthe flammable gas, the \u200dbattery \u2063can ignite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, even if the water drains out of the battery without incident,\u200c contaminants and leftover substances like salt can \u200bstill cause short-circuiting.<\/p>\n<p>Tesla has\u200d provided guidance for \u200downers on how to\u200b handle submerged EVs. They advise towing the vehicle or moving \u2062it at least 50 feet away from structures and combustible materials. The\u2062 company also warns against attempting to operate a submerged vehicle unless it has been inspected \u2064by an authorized shop. If any signs of\u2063 fire, smoke, or heating\u200c are noticed, owners are urged to step away and contact local first responders.<\/p>\n<h2>EV Fire Risk and the Aftermath of Hurricane\u200c Ian<\/h2>\n<p>The issue of EVs \u200dcatching fire\u2064 was \u2064a significant concern following Hurricane \u200cIan in 2022. Florida CFO\u2064 Jimmy Patronis\u200d described the potential for EV fires as\u2062 a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nascar-driver-who-inspired-lets-go-brandon-says-now-extremely-difficult-to-get-sponsorships\/\" title=\"NASCAR Driver Who Inspired \u2018Let\u2019s Go Brandon\u2019 Says Now \u2018Extremely Difficult\u2019 To Get Sponsorships\">ticking time bomb<\/a>&#8221; in a letter \u200bto the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).<\/p>\n<p>He witnessed an\u2063 EV continuously igniting and reigniting, despite fire teams dousing it with tens of thousands of gallons of water. This firsthand experience highlighted the severity of the fire risk \u200bassociated with \u2064EVs in the aftermath of\u200b a hurricane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>in Florida, there is a heightened risk of EV fires. The batteries of these vehicles, when exposed to saltwater, can become prone to combustion. A fire department in the state has issued a warning to owners of hybrid or electric cars to be cautious in such situations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":2020517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2020516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2020516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2020517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2020516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2020516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2020516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}