NHTSA Confirms Fire Marshal's Worst Fears About EV Fires After Hurricane Ian
Federal officials have indicated that a Florida official’s concerns over the safety of electric vehicles after a hurricane are something to be worried about.
Florida Fire Marshal and Chief Fiscal Officer Jimmy Patronis recently wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning the problems firefighters have encountered with EVs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
“On October 6th, I joined North Collier Fire Rescue to assess response activities related to Hurricane Ian and saw with my own eyes an EV continuously ignite, and continually reignite, as fireteams doused the vehicle with tens-of-thousands of gallons of water,” he wrote.
Electric vehicles are catching on fire due to electrical system failure caused by saltwater storm surge from Hurricane Ian, catching homes on fire, endangering first responders and FL families. I’m calling on EV companies to partner with us to find solutions. We must take action. pic.twitter.com/L4TIuMZNzE
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 11, 2022
“Subsequently, I was informed by the fire department that the vehicle, once again reignited when it was loaded onto the tow truck. Based on my conversations with area firefighters, this is not an isolated incident.
“As you can appreciate, I am very concerned that we may have a ticking time bomb on our hands.”
Patronis took to Twitter on Friday with the NHTSA’s reply.
The letter said the North Collier incident he referenced in his letter was “not an isolated event.”
The letter further noted that the NHTSA has been probing electric vehicle safety after hurricanes since 2012’s Sandy.
Here was the feds key takeaways: 1.) “[W]e can confirm your experience in North Collier with reignition is not an isolated event…” (2/5)
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 14, 2022
In response to a question Patronis asked about the impacts for responders of having flooded EVs, he was told: “It may be helpful for persons who are not involved in immediate lifesaving missions to identify flooded vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and move them at least 50 feet form any structures, vehicles or combustibles.”
One of the core questions Patronis asked was how long an EV might pose a danger once salt water begins to corrode a lithium-ion battery.
3.) “Test results specific to saltwater submersion show that salt bridges can form within the battery pack and provide a path for short circuit and self-heating. This can lead to fire ignition.” (4/5)
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 14, 2022
The NHTSA said, “Lithium-ion battery fires have been observed both rapidly igniting and igniting several weeks after battery damage occurred.”
The agency said the timing depends on multiple factors, including the battery design and chemistry plus the amount of damage the battery has suffered.
If an EV catches fire, there’s not a lot fire teams can do. The second you stop dousing an EV with water, it flames up again. If a compromised EV was left in a garage for Hurricane Ian, the car burns and so does the house. How many EVs were left behind? How many are compromised? https://t.co/EnPfYadLnb
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 11, 2022
“Test results specific to saltwater submersion show that salt bridges can form within the battery pack and provide a path for short circuit and self-heating. This can lead to fire ignition,” the NHTSA said.
This is important information as Florida’s first responders continue the work in Southwest, FL. We are distributing this information to our fire teams and will continue working to mitigate these threats. (5/5)
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 14, 2022
Patronis said the information would be shared with his state’s first responders.
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