Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Electric cars on fire

Just read a news item that “The Morning Midas” car transporter ship has been abandoned in the Pacific after a fire broke out amongst the electric cars on board. 3048 cars, of which 70 were fully electric and 851 hybrids were on the way from China to Mexico. It’s expected to burn for at least a week!
The item went on to refer to other huge ship fires in the past that were carrying electric cars.
Don't think I would risk putting one in my integral garage!

This topic is what I teach on a Process Safety and Loss Prevention MSc, previously as a Risk Consultant in the Insurance world, so please bear with.


And that's important. The EVs are likely to have an average age much less than the ICE cars, some of which will have reached a wearout phase in many components. These stats are not comparing apples with apples.


Again, that's important. Risk = Likelihood x Consequence. Therefore even if the likelihood of an EV fire is much less than and ICE fire, the higher consequence is likely to mean the risks are comparable. And if the likelihood of EV fires is actually higher (once age of vehicles is taken into account) then the risk from EV fires is likely to be higher than the risk from ICE fires.

I've got one of each, so I'm obviously hedging my bets

Batteries can be recycled and the charging infrastructure is constantly improving.

Fortunately I don't fit with your stereotyping I'm a serial petrol head and have owned more than 100 cars, still own a large-engined petrol classic and will hopefully own a few more before I'm past it.

I'm not convinced with the environmental argument and that didn't enter my decision making. I bought an EV as everyday transport because it's convenient, incredibly cheap to run, has staggering performance and I enjoy driving it.

Going forward, the main obstacle that I see to EV ownership for many, is the high cost of charging in public chargers. I think it's something that will require government intervention in the medium term.

For anyone that can do most of their charging at home it could be argued that you'd have to be myopic or a fossil-fuel evangelist NOT to buy an EV.

A friend in the automotive testing industry said that some EV batteries have small explosive devices inside them (similar to airbag inflation explosives), if an EV is in a significant accident the explosive goes off, effectively destroying the battery so it can't be used. If that didn't happen, the EV battery might be damaged without any visible evidence, re-used and then cause the exothermic reaction fire. So how many EV fires are caused by re-use of damaged batteries? I have no idea, but I would be aware of the issue if buying second-hand.

According to the SMMT battery EVs make up 3.7% of the number of vehicles on UK roads, so there's a long way to go from the current 'well to do' low-hanging fruit until EV and its infrastructure can satisfy the other 96% of the market.

My suspicion is that there's no intention for that market to be satisfied and the warm glow of Climate Redemption will be at the expense of tens of millions losing access to personal transport.

If that gets out then we may see the sort of working class 'activist-vandalism' currently aimed at ULEZ cameras happening wholesale to EV chargers and infrastructure in the spirit of "not without us you don't!! "

The trouble with Cat-Amongst-The-Pigeons 'disruptor' technology is you don't always know that the 'disruption' will be what you fondly expected! 🙂

K

Can I suggest it may be that the reasons ICE cars catch fire are unrelated to the reasons EVs catch fire. Hybrids have both causes combined, plus, I assume, some additional components to manage the interface between the battery and combustion engine which may also fail and contribute. The 'worst' of all worlds, perhaps.

Just a thought ...

Totally agree - forgot to mention the advice was for an *additional* isolator in the attic, so if you are up there and need to shut things off you don't need to run to the garage!