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

[dmd3home]

If the battery were to somehow ignite, is there a quick way to place the truck in neutral and drag it from the garage? If the garage is part of a two story house with bedrooms above, this could be life critical. But, if an electrical fire occurred, trying to quickly shift it to neutral using electrical components may not work. It seems there should be a quick mechanical method to place it in neutral. Of course, calling 911 and evacuating the hose would be the priority, but removing a burning vehicle from the garage would be the next priority. Gone are the days of a stick shift that you could just throw into neutral and push it out the door.

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[B177y]

Not going to happen.

Like you said, evacuate and call 911.

 

[RLXXI]

Or build a carport outside. While still close to the house as I did (really did it with hail in mind), there's a good chance the fire dpmt 2 blocks away will get here quickly and drag it out in the open street away from the house. I say this just as the volatile cordless tools and yard equipment hang on the garage wall and on the bench and in the cabinets and ... lol

Insurance is paid up and run if needed. I stopped worrying about that kind of life sucking drama a long time ago, If it happens, it happens, I'll deal with it then and until then, I live life. One of the main reasons I got the Lightning, it's fun as hell to drive lol.

This works for me and seems safer than inside under the bed.

 

[MTBAZ]

Did my wife start an account in this forum. Sorry couldn’t resist.

If the truck will not turn on due to excessive heat it will not be fast. There is a way to mechanically put the truck in neutral but it’s not as simple at hitting a button. All the easy ways are electronically controlled.

The bigger question is can you push a 7000 lb burning truck out of your garage even if it’s in neutral.

if this is a major concern I suggest putting in a winch and an anchor point down your driveway so you can drag the truck out regardless of what gear it’s in. If you do this don’t forget to practice so your not doing it the first time in an emergency.

 

[dmd3home]

Did my wife start an account in this forum. Sorry couldn’t resist.

If the truck will not turn on due to excessive heat it will not be fast. There is a way to mechanically put the truck in neutral but it’s not as simple at hitting a button. All the easy ways are electronically controlled.

The bigger question is can you push a 7000 lb burning truck out of your garage even if it’s in neutral.

if this is a major concern I suggest putting in a winch and an anchor point down your driveway so you can drag the truck out regardless of what gear it’s in. If you do this don’t forget to practice so your not doing it the first time in an emergency.

Yeah, I think I could give it a push to get it rolling....it's downhill. And, it's actually in a separate shop outbuilding but I was thinking hypothetically about a house situation.
But, what if I always parked it in neutral and just put a block behind a wheel? Hmmm. But I think it always reverts back to park after 30 mins. I'll have to pull out the manual again to check that. All these "safety features" drive me nuts!

 

[B177y]

Think this hypothetical problem all the way through....

Your lithium ion battery pack (or any part of the truck) is on fire in an enclosed space.

You need to get into that truck, get the ignition on, get it into gear, and out of that enclosed space while you are in the cab above the part that is on fire ...

All while holding your breath.

And keeping your wits the entire time.

Just try doing this exercise under perfect conditions. Then imagine doing it in low visibility, extreme heat, and one breath will kill you.

It's not going to happen. Evacuate and call 911.

 

[dmd3home]

Think this hypothetical problem all the way through....

Your lithium ion battery pack (or any part of the truck) is on fire in an enclosed space.

You need to get into that truck, get the ignition on, get it into gear, and out of that enclosed space while you are in the cab above the part that is on fire ...

All while holding your breath.

And keeping your wits the entire time.

Just try doing this exercise under perfect conditions. Then imagine doing it in low visibility, extreme heat, and one breath will kill you.

It's not going to happen. Evacuate and call 911.

Exactly my point! There should be an easier way. Like I suggested here.....leave the truck in neutral when parked in the garage with a block behind one wheel. If there's a fire, kick the block out and give the truck a shove out....done!!! Unfortunately it seems you can't leave the truck in neutral.....it auto reverts back to park in 30 mins for "safety"......meanwhile my house burns down.

 

[dmd3home]

Not going to happen.

Like you said, evacuate and call 911.

Evacuate and call 911....yes....but I'd still like to save my house.

 

[Shmoe]

Evacuate and call 911....yes....but I'd still like to save my house.

If I was this concerned about a battery fire, I wouldn't charge in my garage period.

 

[Henry Ford]

Exactly my point! There should be an easier way. Like I suggested here.....leave the truck in neutral when parked in the garage with a block behind one wheel. If there's a fire, kick the block out and give the truck a shove out....done!!! Unfortunately it seems you can't leave the truck in neutral.....it auto reverts back to park in 30 mins for "safety"......meanwhile my house burns down.

Leaving a vehicle in neutral is introducing risk into a scenario where there is very little risk. A vehicle in neutral is always a rolling threat, which can cause serious injury or death.

Airliners release their brakes at the gate for brake cooling. There is a ground crew that inserts chocks and removes them at very specific points in a process that is carefully choreographed and trained. Even with all these precautions there are uncommanded aircraft movements where people are injured and metal is bent.

One guy and a set of chocks is not safer than an airline. Leaving your truck in neutral (if it's even possible) puts people and property at risk unnecessarily. Fire is a risk, but it's a tiny risk which is mitigated by working smoke detectors. There's no need to mitigate it further.

 

[RickLightning]

Wow...

What do you do for your gas vehicles that have a higher likelihood of catching fire?

 

[Refactoringdr]

What do you do for your gas vehicles that have a higher likelihood of catching fire?

Firefighter here. First off, ^^^^^^, this.

Second, GET OUT! DO NOT GO BACK IN. Even with firefighting gear, we would never risk a human life to do this.

Third, garages up to code have a burn-through time. Usually on the order of 20 mins to 1 hr. We can often save the rest of the house if called quickly. Check the batteries on your smoke detectors...

 

[RickLightning]

Former firefighter here. When you have to argue with someone over "Get Out", you're fighting a losing battle...

 

[jeep2liberty]

We have 2 EVs in our garage, and sleep just fine. A quick search shows EVs less likely to catch fire than ICE. Charging at night in a garage could potentially be as much or more risk than a rouge thermal runaway on the main battery.

The search pointed out that after any collision damage it would be a great idea to not park in a garage until the damage can be addressed.

I can appreciate the original idea / thought about removing the vehicle, but must agree that calling EMS and prioritizing the safety of occupants is best.
Are there any automated / affordable fire suppression systems that could accomplish both goals? Anyone?

 

[Heliian]

Evacuate and call 911....yes....but I'd still like to save my house.

You shouldnt have bought a house with an attached garage then, hypothetically.

All of this applies to gas vehicles too, which have a higher rate of spontaneous combustion.

Even if you did get your burning vehicle out of the garage, it would still most likely burn the house down if emergency services don't get there fast enough.

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