100 EV’s mysteriously destroyed in fire in India

In early June an incident of extreme-climate change-policy hit a car park in India at 5am.

UPDATE: As commenter DLK says it’s a case of “sudden vehicle death syndrome (SVDS)”.

100 EV's Electric Vehicles catch fire in India

Sudden energy release in car park.

Imagine if this happened in an apartment block basement while people slept above it?

100 vehicles catch fire in Delhi’s Electric Vehicle charging station – India.

Batteries News

A massive fire broke out in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar electric vehicle parking station. A total of seven fire tenders reached the spot to douse the raging fire.

The authorities are yet to conclude the reason for the fire. However, it could have happened because of a short circuit. As per reports, nearly 100 vehicles parked caught fire in the accident. But no one got injured.

As many as 30 new e-rickshaws, 50 old e-rickshaws, 10 private cars, 2 scooters and a motorcycle were gutted due to the fire spreading through the parking lot. The Delhi Fire Department received the call at 5 AM.

This is not an electric vehicle-related fire. … There are several hazards in the fuel pumps as well. We have seen several gruesome accidents in the fuel pumps and it is over the years that regulations have made them safer.

Apparently they don’t know what caused the fire, but they *know* it wasn’t the EV’s.

Naturally this was not reported in the western media. It was just a bunch of e-Rickshaws and a short circuit. It bears no relevance to national policies banning ownership of vehicles that don’t spontaneously combust. Gasoline burns too. There is no reason we should talk about charging stations, or parking lots filled with explosive lithium batteries or the particulate aerosols you may or may not think you see in this unverified photo.

h/t Raven.

10 out of 10 based on 77 ratings

105 comments to 100 EV’s mysteriously destroyed in fire in India

  • #
    YallaYPoora Kid

    One of the biggest issues of EV technology is how do the fire brigades respond to such a fire? Where is the technology to extinguish an EV initiated or subsequently fanned fire or it is environmentally sound to allow it to burn itself out (and whatever it next to it) and ignore the damage caused to potentially life and property?
    Lithium based batteries have been involved in scores of fires eg think Geelong substation, German busses, USA freeway collisions.

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    • #
      Wet Mountains

      Airplane fires while in flight.

      120

      • #
        Ronin

        Boeing 787 battery fires in flight.

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        • #
          Pete of Charnlop

          A few of those 787s smoked up while sitting on the apron! The lab that developed the charging system for the batteries used in the 787 also burned to the ground when one of the batteries exploded.

          Thinking of my office building here in Barton, I wonder what would happen to it if half of the cars parked there were EV’s and a cascading fire took hold? 100 EV’s with around 60 – 70 tonnes of battery should make for a pretty rapid unscheduled disassembly of the building!

          20

    • #
      william x

      YPD,

      I do not know the cause of this fire.

      All I can do is describe first hand experience as a first responder.

      If lithium batteries catch fire, they are extremely diffult to extinguish.

      The battery does not need free oxygen from the air to burn. The chemical reaction of a thermal runaway releases both hydrogen and oxygen.
      The reaction creates both an oxidizer and a fuel source. So combustion self sustains.

      Lithium itself when alight has properties similiar to magnesium when water is applied. It massively increases the heat and combustive rate.

      For a first responder, EV car fires are extremely dangerous. re battery explosions and also the extinguishing mediums available.

      Applying water + foam is virtually useless. In cases it can act as an accelerant.

      There is another problem.. If the vehicle has been involved in a MVA (Motor vehicle accident), the car may be structually compromised.
      High voltage leakage is a possibility. If an occupant remains inside their vehicle all is ok. (Think faraday cage)
      If an occupant removes themselves, there is a danger of shock from step potential.
      This is a danger for any first responder that has to engage in patient extrication.

      If no patients, we just standby, protect exposures and watch the Li-ion burn out.

      I hope I answered your question.
      Take care.

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      • #
        YallaYPoora Kid

        William thank you – you have answered my question by explaining there is no solution or technology to fight/extinguish a lithium battery fire.

        Stay safe first responders

        100

  • #
    Eng_Ian

    It might not be an ev caused fire….

    It could be the charge leads. Even a 50mm2 cable has a resistance of about half an ohm per kilometre. So if you are charging at 11kW, (120V), the current will be 92 amps, say the cable is 4m long, two conductors for the power transfer. So, the power lost to the cable will be (92 x 92) x (2 x 4 x 0.5)/1000 = 388W. And that’s why the cables have a recirculating coolant flowing in them.

    Since most small soldering irons operate with a heater of 25W or less, you can take a guess just how hot the cable will get overnight if the cooling fluid pump fails in the charge unit.

    So maybe it wasn’t the ev cars. It could have been a coolant loss without adequate safety protocols to stop the charge cycle.

    And that’s one solution that is possible, I could give you several others.

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    • #
      Wet Mountains

      And it might, could be, can take a guess, maybe, was caused by Lithium based batteries! Or UFO’s? Depends on how hard you don’t look.

      120

      • #

        Even if it wasn’t the EV’s that started the fire, there is still the problem of how to stop it spreading, and how to put it out.

        And in a carpark full of EV’s I assume that there is likely to be more charge leads…

        250

        • #
          Lawrie

          Also without the need to charge batteries there would be no need for fancy cables either. If TVs did not cause the fire charging one had a part to play. All part of the big picture.

          30

    • #
      Indur Goklany

      That’s why you can’t just look at the batteries, but the entire system. You also have to ask whether fires
      unrelated to the lithium itself are more likely to occur in lithium batteries than in other batteries, etc.
      Unfortunately, when government roots for something in a big way, such candor is less likely.

      150

    • #
      yarpos

      You would think a thermal cut out and/or flow sensing in a coolant cct would not be great design challenges. Just goes back to cost I guess, and their views on risk management.

      40

      • #
        Eng_Ian

        You’d think that internal combustion engines would have a thermal cut out too. They don’t. If the water is removed from the system, (burst pipe), the temperature sensor near the thermostat at the top of the engine will not record any water temperature rise, (no water being present).

        The engine effectively has to heat the casing up enough to show any temperature and by that stage your pistons are probably on their way to beating up the alternator.

        The world is full of bad designs. Some are endemic.

        40

        • #
          lyntonio

          Easily fixed- fit coolant level sensor at foot of top radiator tank. Hot wire from ignition, thru wire to buzzer under dashboard.
          A “screamer” from household smoke detector is very effective.

          00

          • #
            Eng_Ian

            A level sensor will likely melt, since they are made of plastic and radiator water is often above 100 C.

            A pressure switch sensor will fail since even hot air will hold pressure.

            The only sure bet is a thermistor or similar attached to the engine block and monitor it, (attach screamer circuit), as applicable. They are advertised on TV for the grey nomads, etc.

            10

        • #
          Pete of Charnlop

          The BMW M50B28 turbo in my e30 project car has a temp sender that is brass and screwed into the side of the alloy cyl head. It is thermally coupled to the head, and also to flowing water. Having started it without water, I can confirm that even for a brief 2 minute run, the sender picks up the temp increase. It is also trivial to add in safeties to the ECU that will cut the motor in the event of an overheat. My aftermarket ECU can cut based on water temp, oil temp, fuel pressure, AFR, and so on. The type of cut I use is one of reducing the rev limit to 2000rpm and is a strategy that will ensure it gets your attention but yet doesn’t drop the motor dead.

          00

    • #
      BS Buster

      It is very simple. The root cause of this fire must be EV’s. Without them there would be no charging stations to cause ignition, or batteries to fuel the fire.

      60

    • #
      Tel

      It could be the charge leads. Even a 50mm2 cable has a resistance of about half an ohm per kilometre. So if you are charging at 11kW, (120V), the current will be 92 amps, say the cable is 4m long, two conductors for the power transfer. So, the power lost to the cable will be (92 x 92) x (2 x 4 x 0.5)/1000 = 388W. And that’s why the cables have a recirculating coolant flowing in them.

      I²R = 92 * 92 * (2 * 4 * 0.5 / 1000) = 33.856

      The cables out the front of a typical suburban house (from house to power poles) are handling approx the same current levels … standard current is limited at 80A per phase.

      00

      • #
        Eng_Ian

        And out the front of your house, the leads are air cooled and only carry the load for peak loads. You’ll also notice that the houses, (in OZ), are supplied at 230V and that lowers the current by half and the power by 4. In addition, the power lead to your house is rigid and is also above 50mm2, the lead to the car is flexible and needs to be light weight.

        And that’s why they are cooled. I could place 200mm2 cables in the lead but the average housewife, (use any other pronoun you like if it offends), would have difficulty lifting it. The average householder would also have problems affording it and keeping it from ending up being cashed in for scrap by the local kids when they need some cash.

        30

  • #
    Eddie

    The inmates are running the asylum.

    What would you do if you were on the wrong side of the bars, but knew you were right?

    220

  • #

    As this fire happened in early June 2022 and this is now early August 2022, ‘they’ do know how the fire started. However, ‘they’ are not saying and the Western MSM is not listening anyway.

    340

    • #
      paul courtney

      Mr. Rotten: Yes, I heard nothing of this, only happens when all media hands are on deck to assure nobody reports this- ergo, I conclude this was caused by an EV charging. This story was quashed so thoroughly in the US, it must have been Hunter Biden’s rickshaw!

      231

  • #
    Gerry, England

    On a normal vehicle it is most likely an electrical short that will ignite a fire. On trucks the brakes on trailers can catch fire if they overheat. As to the fuel, there are 2 properties, flash point and volatility. Gasoline is volatile and so it is the vapour that will ignite in a mini explosion. Diesel has a lower flash point so that if it lands on a surface that is hot enough it will ignite. Gasoline would evaporate in such a case and then become a vapour risk but if there is no spark it may well disperse.

    64

    • #
      Mike Jonas

      And, of course, it is well known that lithium batteries in electric vehicles can spontaneously combust. Not in your list. Funny that.

      150

    • #
      Ronin

      “Diesel has a lower flash point so that if it lands on a surface that is hot enough it will ignite.”

      Nup, sorry, diesel has a HIGHER flash point, 66 deg, as opposed to petrol which is about -44 deg.

      Flash point is defined as the temp at which the fuel will release vapour, which will ignite if an ignition source is available.

      90

      • #
        Graeme No.3

        Thanks Ronin, saved me commenting above.
        By the way, petrol flash point can vary seasonally, with a lower Flash Point in winter. It is adjusted by increasing the level of the more volatile components by a few percent.
        Ever done a flash point test? Quite boring. You heat the oil or solvent in a metal apparatus with thermometer and lower a (built in) gas jet up and down until the flame spreads across the surface of the liquid.
        DO NOT TRY THIS with volatile liquids like petrol or acetone etc. with a lower flash poin than room temperature.

        10

        • #
          Ronin

          No worries G3, speaking of volatile, the lab personnel used to get a bit volatile when a kero sample was mislabelled as diesel, whoof, no more eyebrows. 🙂

          00

    • #
      Ronin

      There was a case recently here in OZ of the last cattle trailer of a roadtrain, a suspension airbag caught fire because of the condition of the dirt road the truck was travelling on, the quickthinking truckie disconnected the last trailer and opened the gates to let the cattle jump off, all survived except two head.

      00

  • #
    KP

    Electric cars will be a non-starter after enough people find they knew someone who died in a fiery crash.

    Free Bar-B-Q with every EV bought this month! I’ll bet Anne Heche’s Mini was electric-

    “The US actress was in a critical condition after her Mini Cooper was driven into a house and ‘erupted in heavy fire'” It took 60 firefighters an hour to put the fire out.

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    • #
      Wet Mountains

      As well as having the expense of replacing and disposing of their old battery.

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    • #
      Ronin

      “The US actress was in a critical condition after her Mini Cooper was driven into a house and ‘erupted in heavy fire’” It took 60 firefighters an hour to put the fire out.”

      That seemed like a failed suicide bid, she was hurtling down a suburban street.
      Unfortunately, Our Olivia has passed away from cancer.

      70

    • #
      John Connor II

      So if it takes 60 firefighters one hour to extinguish a vehicle battery fire, how many does it take to extinguish a fire (or fires) in a GIANT battery (or batteries) backing up the country’s grid? 😉😉

      30

    • #
      RobB

      It will be a non-starter if there isnt enough electricity on the (green-energy) grid to charge them up.

      00

  • #
    Hanrahan

    We should spare a thought for the owners. No rickshaw, no livelihood.

    I couldn’t care less for virtue signallers in the West who have their toys destroyed but these vehicles are somewhat different.

    111

    • #
      john Doe

      No one should be operating a rickshaw for economic gain without full insurance…

      13

      • #
        Indur Goklany

        … assuming they can get reasonably-priced insurance in the first place. This is India, not a first-world nation.

        50

      • #
        Chad

        john Doe
        August 9, 2022 at 12:38 am · Reply
        No one should be operating a rickshaw for economic gain without full insurance…

        That has to be one of the most asanine , naive, ..dik headed, . comments posted this year !

        100

  • #
    paul

    EV s will bring down an apartment block one day I would be keeping them out of the parking in the lower floors

    70

    • #

      The fake need for EV’s will bring down the free world and it may already be too late to stop the complete transfer of power, wealth and influence from the free world to China.

      111

    • #
      yarpos

      Its pretty much inevitable given the current technology. Fires are spread across all brands and vehicle types and by now it should be obvious that there is a small but real percentage that will just burn without an accident trigger.

      Moves like the recent FBT changes will see lease numbers expand in the company car market so its a toss up, apartment block fire or corporate car park fire , which comes first for Oz?

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7026253/Tesla-car-catches-fire-Hong-Kong-parking-lot-media.html

      20

    • #

      I have a friend who has relatives going on a driving holiday through Europe shortly. Every Hotel they booked into advised that if they were using an EV, it could not be parked inside the Hotels underground carpark or any enclosed area. I wonder why.

      30

  • #
    DLK

    sudden vehicle death syndrome (SVDS)

    250

  • #
    UK-Weather Lass

    Sadly the cancel culture doesn’t want or need to take responsibility for the inconvenient consequences of their ill thought through policies. They just carry on pretending the bad stuff never happens.

    There just has to be a reckoning and one day there will be just that but first we need to stop these people hiding stuff from a public that has a right to know what the risks really are.

    171

  • #
    TdeF

    A house burned down near us. A stick battery vacuum cleaner decided to burn while hanging on a wall. And what can you do? The house was destroyed by the fire, the smoke and the vast amount of water dropped on the fire, to no effect.

    This new type of fire is unable to be extinguished as it does not need air and up to now, all fires needed air.
    I expect a battery fire would burn under water as it then produces hydrogen as well.

    121

    • #
      TdeF

      And it’s getting more dangerous. A phone battery might have 2.5 to 4 amp hours. But a modern electric bicycle in the home is more like 10 amp hours. It is likely that people need to know what to do if they get a fire, if there is anything they can do. I would think out the window is the only way to save a house. And I have no idea of the effect of the likely toxic fumes.

      70

  • #
    John Hultquist

    Note to self: Don’t park near an EV.

    They should all have a symbol on them; something like the “Mr. Yuk” sticker widely employed in the United States in labeling of substances that are poisonous if ingested.
    There is a “flammable” symbol, but this EV-flame symbol should be a new special purpose item. Suggestions needed.

    140

  • #
    Richard+Ilfeld

    The Model Airplane Association has, for years, recommended Strongly! that the tiny batteries we use in our electric powered model aircraft
    be stored in steel boxes, and charged in flameproof bags; and most hobby outlets sell appropriate bags and boxes to keep us from burning our homes down while pursuing our hobby. Overcoming gravity, even on a small scale, is energy intensive and fires or ‘melt events’ are not unknown. What do they know that EV makers don’t?

    120

    • #
      Hanrahan

      Are there instances of AA cells catching fire? My bluetooth keyboard eats them, I have two in the board and two in the [slow] charger at any time. I use eneloops and they have cycled many hundreds of times.

      10

    • #
      yarpos

      They know the enthusiasts dont have controlled packaging or battery management systems. Its good they thought to do something about warning people.

      00

    • #
      Lawrie

      I see dumb and dumber were celebrating passage of 43% and not long after telling of their desire to have 90% EVs by 2030. D and Der should be long gone by then but I can see it now. The queue somewhere between Cobar and Broken Hill waiting to charge their flash new EV. Four rapid chargers all powered by a diesel gen set. The charging posts reminding me of the arming bays at a RAAF base, widely dispersed and surrounded by earthen bunkers and signs warning of the danger. Outside the queue grows as each rapid charge takes 30 mins or so. The A/C is off, can’t drain the last few amp hours, temperature rising along with tempers. Fist fights break out, kids scream, mothers think of murder meanwhile Mr Tesla goes for a milkshake while paying his bill, leaving the car in the bunker.

      I can see a Mad Max redux coming out of this.

      40

  • #
    Ronin

    ” What do they know that EV makers don’t?”

    Plenty, it seems, at least they are honest about it and sharing cautions and procedures, unlike vehicle manufacturers.

    30

  • #
    TdeF

    Petrol remains relatively safe, stored properly.

    Those endless movies where the car explodes going off a cliff and landing in a ravine and explodes are fake.

    And diesel is relatively hard to light. Open aircraft kerosene will put out a lit match. And unless you manage an explosion, the fire like most fires can be extinguished by denying oxygen.

    But a battery fire is a disaster. And the gases can be toxic, unlike a fossil fuel fire where the only toxic gas is CO2. Or least woke thinking, which is a contradiction, would have you believe that human breath is toxic.

    There is no alternative to Lithium batteries and they are revolutionizing our society with mobile devices, but massive energy storage comes with massive as yet unsolved problems.

    We may yet get to the point where electric cars are banned in enclosed spaces.

    70

    • #
      Chad

      #
      TdeF
      August 9, 2022 at 7:39 am ·

      There is no alternative to Lithium batteries ……….

      There are MANY alternatives to lithium batteries .
      EG,..
      NiMh
      Al,ion
      Liquid metal
      Iron/Air

      10

      • #
        Ronin

        “There is no alternative to Lithium batteries ……….

        There are MANY alternatives to lithium batteries .
        EG,..
        NiMh
        Al,ion
        Liquid metal
        Iron/Air”

        I think he meant SAFE PRACTICAL alternatives.

        00

        • #
          Chad

          NiMh has been used in Toyota Hybrids for 10+ years
          The new range of LiFePo. Cells being introduced by Tesla and Ford, ..are safe, practical, and cheaper than LMC etc.
          Solid state cells developed by toyota are also safe and practical
          Aluminium Air cells are also safe and practical for many applications

          00

  • #
    Ronin

    Back in February this year, the MV Felicity Ace caught fire, then sank while being towed, among the 4000 vehicles worth $335M were a number of EVs.
    It is not known how the fire started but the presence of EVs would make the task of extinguishing the fire near impossible in a confined space.

    50

    • #

      Ronin,
      Yes.
      In the least couple of months or so, there have been articles in the trade press discussing what to do with a fire involving [not necessarily caused by] an EV on a ship.
      Basically – at the moment – ‘Abandon Ship’ seems the best approach.
      That’s quite possible on a Vehicle Carrier like the ‘Felicity Ace’ you mentioned.
      More dangerous on a Cross-Channel Ferry, with four coaches of school kids – and five more of pensioners ….
      The legal side of a fire on board is also receiving attention; this may increase costs – or prevent EVs from being carried by sea at any cost.
      We will see.
      Also, various suggestions have been mooted about ways of containing or extinguishing EV fire on board.
      I am unsure whether any I have seen could be practical – let alone economic.

      Auto

      10

  • #
    Ronin

    I wonder if Insurance companies will insure EVs against fire, if they are on the ball, they wouldn’t have a bar of them.

    40

    • #
      Hanrahan

      Isn’t this why Musk had to organise insurance for his buyers to get premiums down?

      Tesla to Create Own Insurance Product, Says Musk
      By Dana Hull and Katherine Chiglinsky | April 26, 2019

      40

    • #
      Chad

      #
      Ronin
      August 9, 2022 at 7:49 am · Reply
      I wonder if Insurance companies will insure EVs against fire, ……

      …of course they will,…at a price !
      That is the business they are in…RISK. !

      00

      • #
        Gary S

        Come on Chad, if you have ever had any dealings with them, you must surely, know that insurance companies are certainly not in the business of taking risks, otherwise they would no longer have a business. Like casinos.

        10

      • #
        Ronin

        …”of course they will,…at a price !
        That is the business they are in…RISK. !”

        Yair…. but they usually prefer YOU to take the risk.

        00

      • #
        Ronin

        “…of course they will,…at a price !”

        Yes, might be similar to getting flood insurance in Lismore or Woodburn. LOL

        00

  • #
    Ronin

    We have got SIDS, SADS and now SEDS, Sudden EV Death Syndrome.

    30

  • #
    exsteelworker

    Since the uptake of lithium batteries, all these mysterious fires breaking out in car/ bus parks, car carrying ships, on passenger jets, in people’s homes (mobile phones)…..just a coincidence I’m sure.
    But if a major incident happens and deaths occur because of lithium, all the EV owners will be left with a car that’s a liability.

    30

  • #
    Chad

    This thread seems to have turned into another “EV, haters”. rant oportunity !
    .. So, lets be clear, are you against EVs generally , or just their tendency to burst into flames ??
    I can understand an objection to incendary batteries, but that is just a technical detail that is being addressed by battery makers.
    But, a general objection to EVs is a display of ignorance to the reality of our situation.
    So much in our society and daily life deoends on products derived from oil, ( chemicals, drugs, plastics, etc), that it is unrealistic to waste the limited resources on powering transport when there are potential alternatives available that cold be substuted.
    Current EV/battery tech may not be the ultimate answer, but neither was the Steam car the ultimate car !

    22

    • #
      Richard+Ilfeld

      Of course not. It’s simply a mission capability question. The vast majority of vehicles we drive live a life cycle that can’t be served by current
      EV’s, yet we are being forced into them against our will. The relative fire risk is probably small; yet large enough that Chevy didn’t want you to keep your Volt in the garage….where you probably placed the charging station.
      But the large questions of affordablity, range, refueling time, and refueling locations are yet to be solved as well, along with any safety issues such as fire, or potential danger to first responders.
      Our problem is that most innovations were introduced to a market as they developed and demonstrated their virtues, not force fed to us as immature, under-capable and over priced green fantasies.

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      Chad, I think you owe it to us to give a disclaimer re where you live and if you ever travel.

      I live in the regional Oz and while a golf cart would meet my basic needs I’m not typical. Out in the boonies people travel quite long distances to sports events and other occasions. If using an EV you must halve the range because if there are 100 other EVs in “small town” for the weekend you will have to drive home without a recharge, and then catch a cab to work on Monday.

      The Charters Towers Gold Field Ashes would cease to exist. If we are forced into EVs how could they all recharge in such a small town?

      After being hit for the COVID duck in 2021, the ever-popular Goldfield Ashes cricket competition was back with a vengeance over the weekend.

      Just over 200 teams booked Charters Towers out for what’s billed as the largest event of its type in the southern hemisphere.

      20

      • #
        Hanrahan

        If Highway !, Townsville to Cairns, is cut by flood the trip via the Lynd would be impossible in an EV. Maybe the long range Tesla would do it with a top up in Mareeba but leave the aircon off.

        20

      • #
        Chad

        #
        Hanrahan
        August 9, 2022 at 12:26 pm · Reply
        Chad, I think you owe it to us to give a disclaimer re where you live and if you ever travel.

        ? Wow !…. Why do i owe you anything ?…
        But i also live in “regional Australia” (southern NSW) , and obviously travel frequently, both in Oz and overseas (currently in Europe !)….So i fully understand ALL the issues that EVs provoke.
        No one is being “forced” to buy EVs, least of all me, .. the only “EV” i own is an Ebike to get me to the beach and into the Nat Park. I wont even consider an EV until there is a much wider choice, better technology, and price parity with ICEs.
        You all overlook the options of Hybrids, PHEVs, etc, which could meet your needs, and many do not even use your hated Lithium based batterys !
        Of course no vehicle technology is ideal for every situation..petrol is a poor choice in many outback areas…likewise i doubt Battery EV is ever going to penitrate those areas…
        ….but city/urban commuters should be encouraged to go electric to both improve city environments, and save valuable oil for those applications that ONLY OIL can be used.

        01

        • #
          Ronin

          “No one is being “forced” to buy EVs, least of all me,”

          Oh really, so the ‘no piston engine cars after 2035’ won’t affect anyone, come on.

          00

          • #
            Chad

            Ronin
            August 9, 2022 at 6:57 pm · Reply
            “No one is being “forced” to buy EVs, least of all me,”

            Oh really, so the ‘no piston engine cars after 2035’ won’t affect anyone, come on.

            ?? Do you really think a Political gesture like that will hold for 13 yrs ?
            …and the actual statement was … “no NEW ICE cars after 2035” ..
            ..so , even if it does come to pass, the used car market , and ice rebuild business, will be flourising from then on anyway .
            …and by that time you may have come to realise the inevitability of electric drive.
            If you want to see the future, just go to europe,…its already happening even with the current range of expensive, flame prone, overweight, first gen EVs !

            00

    • #
      Ronin

      “This thread seems to have turned into another “EV, haters”. rant oportunity !
      .. So, lets be clear, are you against EVs generally , or just their tendency to burst into flames ??”

      Yair, there is that… and the exorbitant cost so’s you can watch your hardearned and maybe your house and family go up in smoke, but apart from those inconsequential niggles, what’s not to like.

      00

    • #
      Ronin

      When the last oil refinery shuts down, where is the bitumen for roads going to come from.

      00

      • #
        Chad

        #
        Ronin
        August 9, 2022 at 7:00 pm · Reply
        When the last oil refinery shuts down, where is the bitumen for roads going to come from.

        You had better hope they have solved far bigger oil dependent issues ,..than road surfacing, …before we run out of oil.
        But even more reason to find alternative power sources for transport to conserve oil for critical uses.!

        00

  • #
    John Nelson

    What would happen in the event of an EV fire on a car ferry, such as the Spirit of Tasmania halfway across Bass Strait?

    10

    • #
      Hanrahan

      We already know: Worst case it sinks. Fortunately it was a transporter not a ferry so there were no passengers on board.

      10

    • #
      Rob

      That’s a concern that demands a comprehensive response from the Tassie ferry’s operators.
      How would they respond to an EV fire in one of the vehicle decks?

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        Ronin

        “How would they respond to an EV fire in one of the vehicle decks?”

        One way would be for EVs to be driven on board last… so they can be jettisoned first if there’s a whiff of smoke on the car deck, simples.

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    Richard C (NZ)

    >”Gasoline burns too”

    Certainly does in Socialist/Communist Cuba which, turns out, powers electricity with fossil fuel:

    “Looks Like A Battlefield”: Third Fuel Tank At Major Cuban Storage Facility Ignites
    https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/looks-battlefield-third-fuel-tank-major-cuban-storage-facility-ignites

    The Matanzas complex — on Cuba’s northern coast — is located about 56 miles east of Havana. The fuel depot supplies the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the communist nation. There’s no word on how much fuel has been lost. António Guterres

    The thermoelectric plant sparks our attention because it provides a fifth of the country’s power needs via large amounts of heavy crude oil from the Matanzas complex to power generators. This disaster comes as power grid failures have been rampant due to fuel shortages, forcing grid operators to impose widespread energy blackouts in some areas of the country for up to 12 hours since May.

    Antonio Guiteras not, unfortunately, António Guterres UN Secretary General and Socialist.

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    NZer

    Just another thought.. because of long charge times at home, parents with a sleeping baby or toddler in the car will continue to leave jr asleep in their car seat for a while (back in the day, we used to put a baby monitor in with them, and listen for the wake up), but they are going to also plug that thing in to charge at the same time I guess? High amps, lithium batteries, cable across floor, and someone precious asleep inside !
    Are there instructions with EVs to NEVER EVER leave anyone asleep in the vehicle while it is charging ?
    Any laws or local bylaws ?

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      yarpos

      Saw a while family sitting in their EV while charging. One napping , three with their faces buried in phones

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