Is your neighbor’s electric car going to burst into flame?

Full disclosure, I drive an electric car. I've been driving electric for the last seven years and so far, no fires. I have to admit I'm a little concerned about the possibility of an electric fire and they have certainly happened. Just take the Chevy Bolt from 2021. 16 vehicles caught fire. GM did a recall of over 140,000 chevy bolts because of possible battery defects that could potentially cause fire. It was extremely expensive, and the battery manufacturer took the brunt of that blow. But even with that GM wound up paying millions. 

The issue with an electric car battery fire is that you can't really put it out with just water. In many cases you just have to hose down the battery pack to cool it down, plus it will sometimes take up to 24 hours for the battery to discharge. But the problem is that the car is not safe until the battery has no charge. Some car manufacturers are looking at the possibility of a battery box that will not burn even if the battery does ignite. Aluminum and steel are popular. Steel is too heavy for most cars and the temperature of a battery fire is higher than the temperature needed to cause aluminum to melt and burn. More research needs to be done on composite materials for battery enclosures.

The fear of electrical fire and EV’s now is to the point where our politicians are getting involved. (Ohh joy.) according to thecentersquare.com, 

“Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a bill directing the Washington State Patrol to study the environmental and health impacts of electric vehicle fires, both of which are relatively unknown but could become significant as more EVs appear on the roads.” 

I'm never excited about getting politicians involved or the politics of electric vehicles for that matter, but it can't be helped. The one upside is I have great respect for the Washington State Patrol, and I think the study they do will probably be very enlightening. 

Look if you're afraid of. Battery fires. Just look at your phone. It uses a lithium-ion battery. If you vape. It uses a lithium-ion battery. It was a year or two ago I saw a really funny video from a security camera where a guy's pants caught on fire because of the lithium-ion battery in his phone. It was funny to watch the guy as he tried to get his pants off, but it certainly wasn't funny for him. 

There is massive research going into battery systems for electric cars and there are already different batteries that are less susceptible to thermal runaway. 

I know it's taxpayers' money, but you know what? I think it's probably money well spent. 

So, the question was, is your neighbor's electric car going to catch fire? And the answer is. Probably not. But if it does do what first responders tell you to do and get out of the way. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get in my electric car and go home. 

Inslee signs Washington bill directing study of EV fires | Washington | thecentersquare.com 

No, Millions of Cars Are Not Catching Fire Every Year (caranddriver.com) 

Government data show gasoline vehicles are up to 100x more prone to fires than EVs | Electrek 

 Are electric cars more likely to catch fire? - Debono Group