I would have never guessed that politics would entered the conversation around EV safety. Hurricane Helene’s storm surge hitting western Florida highlighted that submerged EV batteries can short out, even explode, causing fires. Some have burned entire houses to the ground.
When I watched the news back then, they warned everyone about this danger. When I checked with knowledgeable people, they pointed out that golf cart batteries have been known to do exactly the same thing. Then, when I did my own research into this problem, I learned that these situations are rare but indeed deserve the warning to move them out of flood zones.
Yeah right, go ahead and try to move your golf cart just ahead of a storm. Go leave it where others can easily steal it … remember, most golf carts have one universal key.
Knowledgeable golf cart owners have told me they know to remove the battery and get it out of reach of floodwaters. Wonder how many people know to do that or have the strength to remove them? It was news to us, the owners of a Tesla and a golf cart. But we don’t live in a flood zone.
My research included this link https://www.eenews.net/articles/why-6-flooded-evs-burst-into-flames-after-hurricane-ian/ brought another perspective to light. The news media reporting never seems to put these incidents in perspective. We are led to believe they are commonplace and that everyone should move their vehicles, when as the article points out, they are quite rare.
Given our recent experience trying to insure a boat on the west coast of Florida, we have learned you must have them pulled, a.k.a. put “on the hard,” during Hurricane Season highlighting the simple fact that you won’t be able to move them out of harm’s way in the short time you have. Therefore, the reason the insurers are telling us this is so they can avoid claims when the storm hits.
I understand all this and don’t blame them, but I am alarmed that our news media fails to put these tragic EV fires in perspective. Is it that they too didn’t know? Perhaps. But what I think is at the root of all reporting these days is they are just not thinking.
After all, a few EVs catching fire should have immediately prompted broader questions about why any EVs are catching fire if most are not? Remember, there are tens of thousands of EVs in the region and only a few are catching fire. What is the reason only these few are igniting?
I do wonder when we will stop the soundbites and have dialogues about the limitations of ideas in life and community. After all, EVs aren’t for everyone. They are wonderful for some, so help them make their choices through education of costs and benefits.
A close friend of mine was seriously considering one because he thought the self-driving feature would avoid accidents. I found out he had most of the same features on his existing car but had not turned them on!
But, along the way, we need to avoid either fear mongering or generic promotion. You are not going to save the planet buy buying an EV nor is your house going to burn to the ground if you do. If you are worried about that possibility in a coastal area, park it outside your house!
We need to stop the exaggerated soundbites and begin the education of the public. I love my Tesla, but it is just not for most people.