Why Tesla, GM And Other EV Companies Have A Fire Problem

Electric vehicles provide a path toward a greener future, but they can be especially dangerous when they catch fire. While car fires are nothing new and internal combustion engine car fires are also a problem, lithium-ion battery fires are extremely volatile and challenging to put out, and there are few resources out there to help firefighters. In addition, car makers like GM, Ford, Hyundai and Tesla have had to do costly recalls due to fire risk. CNBC explores how automakers and firefighters are going to deal with EV's fire problem.

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Why Tesla, GM And Other EV Companies Have A Fire Problem

[BonnieKay]

Our neighbors were on vacation, left their EV in the attached garage. Fire ... burned it all to the ground, nice home, large, expensive. Experts proved that it was the EV.

[rusty]

After a hurricane in Florida, several Teslas caught fire due to corrosion caused by salt water. This would implicate northern climates where salt is used in road ice management.

[Psi]

Respect to firefighters. They may not know exactly what they're dealing with before they go to a fire, but they go anyway. Of the 218 that died in the 2020 Beirut explosion, 10 were firefighters that arrived at the warehouse that improperly stored 552 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the same chemcial used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

[vRoD-jrue]

Lithium battery's are a huge problem. They have a problem called thermal runaway. I had 2 spontaneous combust in my warehouse and they were not being charged and were not fully charged. They have been keeping it quiet. The batteries also have had cell phones, laptops, tablets and RV's. Airliners have crashed from fires in flight.

[nsu]

The issue is that EV cars catch fire while NOT being driven. I don't
know of any ICE vehicle catching fire while being parked unless the
ignition was from an outside source. Electric vehicles can virtually
spontaneously combust while recharging. Lithium batteries have a
checkered history of spontaneously combustion.

[timtheflymantaylor]

as a firefighter i must say, lithium batteries and oxygen dont mix.. well they do and it generates 1600 degrees. we do NOT use water on batteries at risk of explosion, we use afff foam substance that creates a barrier between oxygen and the exposed materials. this story is half true half bs and im gonna say an unpopular opinion, this is an attack by oil companies on ev production. they DO know the exact numbers because its reported to the national transportation board. i own ford rangers so im not an ev guy but support the idea of cars being ev with a solar panel roof to create longer distances.

[hankh]

As a Rural volunteer fire department. We are working on our own tactics. It is plain to see no one cares about how we are to fight these things. The attention on just getting them on the road is most important.

[lowlanz]

What needs to be investigated more is the possibility of crash fire. In many cases, traditional cars catch fire in the front, where you can notice quickly and get out, but EVs burn from below in a ferocious manner. You may not even realize that you have to get out ASAP. There had been numerous cases where the driver was burnt alive, which rarely happens with traditional vehicles.

[brob-zyzi]

A lot of combustion engine vehicles catch fire each year. There is no denying it. My problem with Electric Vehicles is that there is very little chance to get out without at the very least burns. Imagine having a child in a car seat and your battery bursting into flames. It isn't just a small fire that grows. It is quite literally an instant inferno full of toxic fumes. If electric vehicles are the future then someone had better get a hold on this problem however infrequent it may be.

[alex]

People in the comments clearly just read the title and didn't watch the whole video 😂

[navret]

If I remember correctly, the airlines have a prohibited transporting Li batteries in passenger aircraft due to fire possibilities.

GM’s response to house fires caused by their batteries catching fire was (wait for it. . . . ) charge you car outside, not in the garage. Brilliant 😵‍💫

[richardneville]

Another concerning aspect is the ageing of these vehicles. Rust / corrosion is a major problem here in the UK and is only made worse from the salting of the roads during the Winter months. The batteries are underside so we can only expect rust eventually getting into the battery casings and potentially causing corrosion of these Lithium packs in say for example 10+ years time.

[kaygee]

I noticed that they didn't mention how many of the car fires per year were EV's. WHen they had a second chance to make that point, they went the way of comparing ICE fires to all fires.

[Wildcrd]

I don’t know how someone would sleep at night having one of these cars in their garage, let alone plugged overnight. You can literally burn down your house to ashes. Even crazy to hear firefighters can’t even get to the batteries to put out the fire.

[LostChildOfTime]

An all electric future looks more deadly than it initially didn't. Imagine a large lot full of these cars. What would that do to the environment if one caught fire and eventually the whole lot? Would it even be able to be contained and once its over, would there even be any ground left beneath the vehicles?

[stephengamble]

Luton car park in the UK, recently burnt down. The media were very quick to blame a diesel car, which was not the opinion of many experts. If they hadn't, think of the consequences, no EVs in public car parks, no EVs on ferries or the Channel tunnel. No car insurer would touch them.

[ojonasar]

Without oil, companies will struggle to even make the cars - oil doesn’t just represent the fuel, not by a long way.

[bikingD]

I love how everyone who is an EV fan is losing their mind with this story. The story talks about the fire being different then fuel such as hotter, toxic, can restart again after. Can catch while charging etc. Never has this article stated less safe or more dangerous but different technology. That's it get your head straight. Nothing is wrong with this story at all. Doesn't bash EV's or ICE just talking about the differences and challenges. That's it.

[sigmann]

I was planning my next car to be an EV. But all these fires lately are definitely making me rethink. EVs still need major improvements in the safety area.

[LaneTraveler]

It's not a mystery. Anytime you store energy in quantity, the potential exists for that energy to be catastrophically released. One huge disadvantage of LiO batteries over gasoline is that a LiO battery fire contains oxidizers, and is therefore extraordinarily persistent and difficult to extinguish compared to a petroleum fuel fire.