I have driven EVs since the 2016 and have had to field off multiple attacks over the years on the dangers of lithium car batteries catching fire. The amount of disinformation circulating out there is huge and can be very successful in deterring people making the switch to zero emission vehicles powered by the sun if like me you have solar panels on your roof.
Absolutely. Part of the problem is that the way people think about risk makes them vulnerable to the disinformation - they're used to the idea that petrol cars can catch fire, yet somehow when an EV catches fire it's new and different and memorable. But also, people are often looking for a reason to stick with what they've always done (somehow discounting the catastrophic risks of climate change).
At least there's now good data to counter the disinformation. But it's hard work to get it out there.
My next car will be an EV (if I decide to replace it when it dies, which is by no means certain), but I have now decided that I won't charging it overnight in my garage which is directly underneath my bedroom even though I know the risk is very small. I've told my apartment-dwelling father with an EV to charge it at a service station.
Informative article Melanie. I do believe us humans tend to have an outsized fear of the new. Despite lithium batteries being a much newer technology for which it is sensible to assume they are still on a learning curve, ICE car fire rates are MUCH HIGHER. Just based upon failure rates and fires I suppose it would be safer to park our cars in the driveway if they have an ICE. The high profile coverage we provide for electric car fires probably makes matters worse. For the firefighters, the risk is certainly higher as different techniques are required to put out an electric car fire. If was fun to think about those old Nokia flip phones. They sure were simple, reliable and long-lived.
Thanks Mark. I think a lot of people were keen to jump on the idea of lithium battery fires in electric cars because they are suspicious of actions in response to climate change.
I still have fond memories of my old Nokia phones. I'll be writing about an even older one at some point in the next few months - it came with a handset attached with a coiled cord and the box had a strap so you could sling it over your shoulder.
When we moved out of our home of 30+ years, we recycled, sold and disposed of a lot of stuff. I had a box of electronics which I had kept for no apparent reason. We had a salvage and recovery place that manages the recycling, hopefully pretty well. I bet there was an old Nokia phone. I also remember a Palm Pilot…haha
Thank you for such an educational and informative article.
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful.
Thanks Melanie. Very useful considering we don't give a second thought to battery operated devices. Risk Awareness and Management is key.
Thanks - I know I'd never really thought about it. You're right, it's simply a case of understanding the risks and managing them the right way.
Thanks Melanie.
I have driven EVs since the 2016 and have had to field off multiple attacks over the years on the dangers of lithium car batteries catching fire. The amount of disinformation circulating out there is huge and can be very successful in deterring people making the switch to zero emission vehicles powered by the sun if like me you have solar panels on your roof.
Absolutely. Part of the problem is that the way people think about risk makes them vulnerable to the disinformation - they're used to the idea that petrol cars can catch fire, yet somehow when an EV catches fire it's new and different and memorable. But also, people are often looking for a reason to stick with what they've always done (somehow discounting the catastrophic risks of climate change).
At least there's now good data to counter the disinformation. But it's hard work to get it out there.
My next car will be an EV (if I decide to replace it when it dies, which is by no means certain), but I have now decided that I won't charging it overnight in my garage which is directly underneath my bedroom even though I know the risk is very small. I've told my apartment-dwelling father with an EV to charge it at a service station.
Informative article Melanie. I do believe us humans tend to have an outsized fear of the new. Despite lithium batteries being a much newer technology for which it is sensible to assume they are still on a learning curve, ICE car fire rates are MUCH HIGHER. Just based upon failure rates and fires I suppose it would be safer to park our cars in the driveway if they have an ICE. The high profile coverage we provide for electric car fires probably makes matters worse. For the firefighters, the risk is certainly higher as different techniques are required to put out an electric car fire. If was fun to think about those old Nokia flip phones. They sure were simple, reliable and long-lived.
Thanks Mark. I think a lot of people were keen to jump on the idea of lithium battery fires in electric cars because they are suspicious of actions in response to climate change.
I still have fond memories of my old Nokia phones. I'll be writing about an even older one at some point in the next few months - it came with a handset attached with a coiled cord and the box had a strap so you could sling it over your shoulder.
When we moved out of our home of 30+ years, we recycled, sold and disposed of a lot of stuff. I had a box of electronics which I had kept for no apparent reason. We had a salvage and recovery place that manages the recycling, hopefully pretty well. I bet there was an old Nokia phone. I also remember a Palm Pilot…haha