There seem to be a lot of reports about electric cars catching fire while charging, after striking a piece of road debris, or just sitting unplugged in the garage. Tesla has said that several of the fires with their vehicles were not related to the charging system. That may or may not be true but the car still burned down to ashes. A couple of homes have been totally destroyed but no one has burned to death as yet. Point is, maybe architects should think twice about putting bedrooms over a garage on a two-story house?
Good question, I often think about these cell phone batteries overheating and exploding, imagine something like that happening in your hybrid or elec.!?!?
Gasoline is actually very safe and stable in relation to its energy density (44 megajoules per kg). Liquid gasoline is actually not flammable. It won't burn unless it's in a vapor state mixed with oxygen. The whole "exploding gas tanks" trope is a hollywoodism, not something that actually happens without very unusual circumstances.
Batteries have a much lower energy density. One 10 gallon gas tank contains as much energy as 7 or 8 Tesla battery banks, which are much larger and weigh a lot more. Most batteries off-gas hydrogen, which is very flammable stuff and needs to be vented (a lot of boat fires start with battery banks). Higher-density battery technologies, such as the Lithium ion batteries used in most electronic devices and Teslas, push the limits of energy storage density with modern chemistry. By doing so, they run the risk of overheating and bursting into flames, even when not in use. In fact, Lithium-ion battery fires are so common that most airlines won't allow them to be checked as luggage anymore.
So, physics is working against electric vehicles on two fronts here:
Unless there are massive, revolutionary developments in battery technology, batteries will never be as powerful as gasoline, and,
Batteries are actually a lot less safe than gas tanks in cars.
The whole "exploding gas tanks" trope is a hollywoodism, not something that actually happens without very unusual circumstances.
Suggest you google Ford Pinto.. that one was notorious because not only did the gas tank rupture at a low speed rear end, but the body buckled and jammed the doors shut. Also it was a known design defect that could have been solved for very little money. There have been instances of electric cars burning. Gas cars burn too, steam engine boilers have exploded, SUV's have flipped, air bags deploying while driving, cars that accelerate without driver input, cars that slip out of gear and roll, etc.
Basically... define "safe" and it doesn't mean you won't find exceptions. btw; there is also a video of a idiot driving a Tesla through a flooded tunnel....
Some of the damning evidence is that Ford conducted it's own low speed rear impact (20 mph). 9 out of 11 of the test cars had the fuel tank rupture and several of them caught fire, so Ford knew there was a problem.... So... um... should you avoid small cars and only drive land yachts? Tell me small car safety isn't still a concern and the PR damage was just to the Pinto....
The point was.... Safety is a relative term and there are multiple incidents of fatalities due to faulty design / engineering. Just because there have been a handful of incidents, it doesn't remotely mean a entire technology is unsafe... however I wouldn't suggest traveling by being shot out of a cannon; the clown makeup alone doesn't justify the time savings.
There are inherent risks when you store enough energy to propel a two-ton car at 75 miles an hour for hundreds of miles. After all, thousands of gasoline-powered cars catch fire in collisions each year. In principle, those risks can be managed through structural design and cooling. But could the lithium-ion battery cells themselves be made safer?
Some model Jeeps have had their gas tanks explode on impact also. One instance was on an Interstate near me a couple of years ago where several people were burned to death. The gas tank was located well aft of the rear axel on this model. The auto company was evading and prevaricating when a credible eyewitness came forward and said she saw everything and would be happy to testify in court. They settled quickly after that.
Are electric cars fire hazards?
There seem to be a lot of reports about electric cars catching fire while charging, after striking a piece of road debris, or just sitting unplugged in the garage. Tesla has said that several of the fires with their vehicles were not related to the charging system. That may or may not be true but the car still burned down to ashes. A couple of homes have been totally destroyed but no one has burned to death as yet. Point is, maybe architects should think twice about putting bedrooms over a garage on a two-story house?
^that.
Good question, I often think about these cell phone batteries overheating and exploding, imagine something like that happening in your hybrid or elec.!?!?
Gasoline is actually very safe and stable in relation to its energy density (44 megajoules per kg). Liquid gasoline is actually not flammable. It won't burn unless it's in a vapor state mixed with oxygen. The whole "exploding gas tanks" trope is a hollywoodism, not something that actually happens without very unusual circumstances.
Batteries have a much lower energy density. One 10 gallon gas tank contains as much energy as 7 or 8 Tesla battery banks, which are much larger and weigh a lot more. Most batteries off-gas hydrogen, which is very flammable stuff and needs to be vented (a lot of boat fires start with battery banks). Higher-density battery technologies, such as the Lithium ion batteries used in most electronic devices and Teslas, push the limits of energy storage density with modern chemistry. By doing so, they run the risk of overheating and bursting into flames, even when not in use. In fact, Lithium-ion battery fires are so common that most airlines won't allow them to be checked as luggage anymore.
So, physics is working against electric vehicles on two fronts here:
The whole "exploding gas tanks" trope is a hollywoodism, not something that actually happens without very unusual circumstances.
Suggest you google Ford Pinto.. that one was notorious because not only did the gas tank rupture at a low speed rear end, but the body buckled and jammed the doors shut. Also it was a known design defect that could have been solved for very little money. There have been instances of electric cars burning. Gas cars burn too, steam engine boilers have exploded, SUV's have flipped, air bags deploying while driving, cars that accelerate without driver input, cars that slip out of gear and roll, etc.
Basically... define "safe" and it doesn't mean you won't find exceptions. btw; there is also a video of a idiot driving a Tesla through a flooded tunnel....
Why choose this Rick?..
Some of the damning evidence is that Ford conducted it's own low speed rear impact (20 mph). 9 out of 11 of the test cars had the fuel tank rupture and several of them caught fire, so Ford knew there was a problem.... So... um... should you avoid small cars and only drive land yachts? Tell me small car safety isn't still a concern and the PR damage was just to the Pinto....
The point was.... Safety is a relative term and there are multiple incidents of fatalities due to faulty design / engineering. Just because there have been a handful of incidents, it doesn't remotely mean a entire technology is unsafe... however I wouldn't suggest traveling by being shot out of a cannon; the clown makeup alone doesn't justify the time savings.
There are inherent risks when you store enough energy to propel a two-ton car at 75 miles an hour for hundreds of miles. After all, thousands of gasoline-powered cars catch fire in collisions each year. In principle, those risks can be managed through structural design and cooling. But could the lithium-ion battery cells themselves be made safer?
Some model Jeeps have had their gas tanks explode on impact also. One instance was on an Interstate near me a couple of years ago where several people were burned to death. The gas tank was located well aft of the rear axel on this model. The auto company was evading and prevaricating when a credible eyewitness came forward and said she saw everything and would be happy to testify in court. They settled quickly after that.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/richard-hammond-switzerland-crash-video-10599724
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