In the event of a battery fire, what is the fastest, easiest way to drag the truck out of the garage?

[On the Road with Ralph]

Let’s be clear: EVs experience fires at 1/60th - that’s ONE SIXTIETH - the rate of ICE vehicles. Let me say it another way just so there is no mistake: For every 60 fires that occur in a gasoline or diesel fueled vehicle, ONE (1) occurs in an EV.

I can’t believe we are wasting time on this question…

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[F150Redux]

Quick question for you - I think most garages do not have detectors installed (mine doesn't). I think I read somewhere that in a garage, a heat detector is a better choice than a smoke detector. True?

Probably depends on what the code is where you live. In MA I'm pretty sure it's code to have detectors in garages. Our two-car garage has a heat detector alarm wired into the rest of the alarm system. My neighbors all have them as well.

 

[RickLightning]

Quick question for you - I think most garages do not have detectors installed (mine doesn't). I think I read somewhere that in a garage, a heat detector is a better choice than a smoke detector. True?

Smoke detectors are not recommended for garages due to dust, exhaust (not an issue with an EV), and extreme temperatures.

Ideally, you want a rate of rise heat detector, which triggers for a rapid increase in temps. Failing that, a temperature sensor, set high enough. My SimpliSafe system has temperature sensors, designed for freezing. They can be set higher, so I have mine set for 100 or something, and it's labeled "EVs on fire", so when the central station sees it triggered, they don't call me and say "your temp sensor went off", they dispatch fire and then call me.

 

[irunalot]

I took a mandatory EV fire emergency response course due to my position in a large company. It was taught by our local fire chief and his support staff. The protocol is simple:
1) Make sure people are safe
2) Call 911

That’s it. No debate, no neutral, no pushing (mine is 8400 lbs), no straps or ropes.

And BTW, blanket extinguishers only work for a short time. Unfortunately, the latest experience is that they have to allow Li-ion fires burn themselves out. They’ve also learned to stop wasting water on EV fires. It just doesn’t work.

And yes, still less frequent than ICE fires but you hear about EV fires because they must burn themselves out and it takes longer to establish “control” of the situation. More drama time 🫤

 

[ClevelandBeemer]

I have a solution….. PARK OUTSIDE!

 

[WXman]

I'm not a fire fighter, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I did take a senior level data analysis and statistics class to get out of meteorology school. I think the myth that "ICE vehicles catch fire more often than EVs" is a textbook example of scale. Yes, there ARE more ICE vehicle fires. But that's because there are millions upon millions upon millions of ICE vehicles in the United States, and the number of EVs is a tiny fraction of a fraction of that number.

The issue is that when an EV catches fire, they go up quickly and they burn MUCH hotter and they are nearly impossible to extinguish. You may be successful in putting out an ICE vehicle fire with fire extinguishers or garden hoses. With an EV that's on fire....not happening. Period.

This thread is interesting because it's a fear I do have. My attached garage has a bedroom above it, and one of my step-sons sleeps up there.

The advice throughout this thread is good advice: EVACUATE FAST and then call 911.....and keep your insurance paid up.

 

[ClevelandBeemer]

I'm not a fire fighter, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I did take a senior level data analysis and statistics class to get out of meteorology school. I think the myth that "ICE vehicles catch fire more often than EVs" is a textbook example of scale. Yes, there ARE more ICE vehicle fires. But that's because there are millions upon millions upon millions of ICE vehicles in the United States, and the number of EVs is a tiny fraction of a fraction of that number.

The issue is that when an EV catches fire, they go up quickly and they burn MUCH hotter and they are nearly impossible to extinguish. You may be successful in putting out an ICE vehicle fire with fire extinguishers or garden hoses. With an EV that's on fire....not happening. Period.

This thread is interesting because it's a fear I do have. My attached garage has a bedroom above it, and one of my step-sons sleeps up there.

The advice throughout this thread is good advice: EVACUATE FAST and then call 911.....and keep your insurance paid up.

Alternatively, and this is a crazy concept, mitigate the risk and park outside.

 

[WXman]

Alternatively, and this is a crazy concept, mitigate the risk and park outside.

Which reminds me of a point I intended to make, but forgot. Parking outside is not going to solve the issue, unless you park WAY outside, i.e. on the street. Vehicle fires, and EV fires in particular, are so hot and violent that they will catch adjacent housing on fire quickly. I've actually seen vehicles catch the house on fire while parked in the driveway which then spread to the neighbor's house too if we're talking subdivisions where the houses are spaced closely together.

 

[ClevelandBeemer]

Which reminds me of a point I intended to make, but forgot. Parking outside is not going to solve the issue, unless you park WAY outside, i.e. on the street. Vehicle fires, and EV fires in particular, are so hot and violent that they will catch adjacent housing on fire quickly. I've actually seen vehicles catch the house on fire while parked in the driveway which then spread to the neighbor's house too if we're talking subdivisions where the houses are spaced closely together.

I have to disagree. Parking outside buys you time and a chance to save the house. Plus keep a chain in the garage to drag the truck further away if needed.

 

[daczone]

Put this over your truck.... it's cheap, it's wireless and should be near any EV charger as a safety measure. Battery lasts 10 years too. I have one in my garage with my Tesla and a 2nd one in my shop over my truck. Not a smoke detector, but HEAT.

 

[hb.sagen]

Do we have gears and neutral? What happens in neutral?

The parking brake is a physical party pooper.

What is it that prevents the car from rolling in park? It doesn’t roll, so I assume there is some “bolt” like thing in the motor?

 

[RickLightning]

I'm not a fire fighter, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I did take a senior level data analysis and statistics class to get out of meteorology school. I think the myth that "ICE vehicles catch fire more often than EVs" is a textbook example of scale. Yes, there ARE more ICE vehicle fires. But that's because there are millions upon millions upon millions of ICE vehicles in the United States, and the number of EVs is a tiny fraction of a fraction of that number.

The issue is that when an EV catches fire, they go up quickly and they burn MUCH hotter and they are nearly impossible to extinguish. You may be successful in putting out an ICE vehicle fire with fire extinguishers or garden hoses. With an EV that's on fire....not happening. Period.

This thread is interesting because it's a fear I do have. My attached garage has a bedroom above it, and one of my step-sons sleeps up there.

The advice throughout this thread is good advice: EVACUATE FAST and then call 911.....and keep your insurance paid up.

Here's the problem with your class - it didn't give you the DATA. Lacking data, having a statistics degree gets you nowhere.

No, it's NOT a textbook example of scale. The FACTS are that a higher % of gas vehicles catch fire each year.


The UK’s Guardian newspaper is out with a new report that illustrates the idea.

Using data from several countries, the report reveals electric vehicles (EVs) are less likely to catch fire than gas-powered cars.

Related: Study — Electric Vehicles Involved in Fewest Car Fires

Four Data Sources
Examining data from Tesla’s global fleet, Australia, Sweden, and Norway (the country with the highest concentration of electric cars), the paper found “the probability of being caught in an EV fire appears overall to be much lower than for petrol or diesel cars.” The Guardian allows that the numbers could change as more people start to drive electric.

But it notes, “There are millions of electric cars on roads around the world, so some data on the prevalence of fires is emerging.”

Tesla reports, “The number of fires on U.S. roads involving Teslas from 2012 to 2021 was 11 times lower per mile than the figure for all cars.” Tesla, we’d note, has a financial incentive to embellish and a history of exaggeration.

We’re not aware of any conflicts of interest, however, for the Australian defense establishment or Scandinavian governments. They back up the claim.

In Norway, the research found, “there are between four and five times more fires in petrol and diesel cars, according to the Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness.” The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency similarly found 68 fires per 100,000 cars of all types but just 3.8 fires per 100,000 EVs or hybrids.

Australia’s Department of Defence researched the same question and found that “there was a 0.0012% chance of a passenger electric vehicle battery catching fire, compared with a 0.1% chance for internal combustion engine cars.”

One Kind of Car Uses Fire to Move
Another source also backs up the finding — common sense.

Internal-combustion-powered cars, after all, are always on fire a little when they’re working. It’s right there in the name. They function thanks to millions of tiny fires. For a gas-powered car to “catch fire,” it just has to fail to contain its fire.

For an electric car to catch fire, a fire has to start.



https://www.kbb.com/car-news/report-evs-less-likely-to-catch-fire-than-gas-powered-cars/

 

[hb.sagen]

The average ICE car in Norway is 11-12 years old, and a lot approaching 20 years.

An EV is a lot newer.

The fire fighters have a vessel filled with water that they submerge EVs in if they do burn.

 

[carys98]

Yes, there ARE more ICE vehicle fires. But that's because there are millions upon millions upon millions of ICE vehicles in the United States, and the number of EVs is a tiny fraction of a fraction of that number.

It’s not a myth. All of the statistics are scaled to the population. According to NTSB stats ICE vehicles have about 3500 fires per 100,000 vehicles while EVs have about 25 per 100,000. There is probably some skewing in the data based on vehicle age. There are plenty of 20, 30, and even 40 year old ICE vehicles on the road while the EV population will be significantly newer.

 

[hajalie24]

Quick question for you - I think most garages do not have detectors installed (mine doesn't). I think I read somewhere that in a garage, a heat detector is a better choice than a smoke detector. True?

When I got batteries they had to bring everything to code in my garage, they put a heat detector in, with xsense wireless interconnected smoke detectors inside the house. The electricians said a smoke detector would trip more often just because of how hot a garage can get.

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