Electric Cars Safe or Not in the Long Run

Electric Cars are being thought as an alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles as it is safe for the environment, emission of harmful gases nearly low. Electric Vehicles are becoming replaced because of depleting fossil fuels. Companies like Toyota, Tesla, and Chevrolet have become pioneers in having different designs of EVs at a considerable pace. Lots of people are having a craze in Electric Vehicles. Fires in these vehicles have become concern for companies.

Origin of the issue

Electrical vehicle catching fire garners a lot of attention. Recently illustrious fires involving Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model S Plaid which is a quick time got flames The Chevy bolt ignition is harbouring too much attention as General Motors has call-back internationally owing to ignition risks and in the stir of various Bolt fires.

General Motors as well as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are providing groups to detect the fire this coming week. Timothy Briglin, a person having the Bolt got fire clarified in a phone interview:

Briglin worries that GM gets flee in this matter and be at the peak of hazard issues concerning these three consecutive years (2017-2019). Briglin added that the fire occurred even though he had updated the software which was destined to settle the battery fire matter. Many people of General Motors had approached Briglin who is however devoted to Electric Vehicles.

Briglin thinks that there is no question that Electric Vehicles are the cars of the upcoming time. These vehicles are quick to drive, less pricey to drive, good for the environment; the battery concern is going to be pointed out.

General Motors expressed a statement that luckily nobody was hurt as a consequence of this incident. Further, it is stated that they have gotten to customers and thoroughly checking the incident and collecting extra information to know the featured situation.

News featuring EV fires and gas car fires

Electric Vehicle fires are getting media coverage as:

EVs are comparatively novice. Many Americans are having thoughts to adapt to EVs.

Tesla has become a prominent tech company in the US and also the charismatic power of Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.

It is still surprising how EVs are grasping fire and why the fires are difficult to extinguish.

Thus, it is quite evident that Tesla fire or Chevy Bolt fire are getting undue attention compared to a Toyota Corolla getting fire.

Comparison between Electric car fires and Gas car fires

Whether EV car fires are happening more than Gas car fires. This has been mentioned by Tesla in the below statement:

From 2012 to 2020 out of 205 million miles movement there has been one Tesla fire that occurred. But, comparing information collected from the National Fire Protection Association and US Department of Transportation verifies that in the US for every 19 million miles movement there is a vehicle fire that occurred.

National Fire Protection Association do not have absoluteness for which in 2020 they said that despite the prevalence of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles current data extraction systems have not fully tapped the fire incidents concerning these vehicles. Executive Director of the Washington DC-based Center for Auto Safety Mr Jason K. Levine when asked he replied saying that no all-inclusive data source is in his vicinity which can compare Electric and Gas car fires.

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Levin said that non-collision fires are always for inquiry which doesn’t care how the vehicle is run. Battery operated electric fires is a double-edged sword in terms of how frequently are they occurring and the preparedness of people in case of emergency.

Take the instance of Briglin where the fire department was at alert. Fire Department had the schematic layout of the car & had knowledge and expertise to solve the issue thereby substantiating that the fire department had new experience in handling the EV vehicles. As White River Junction had 2200 people it was an overwhelming experience.

Extinguishing an EV Fire

A Tesla Model S fire needs 30000 gallons of water to finish off the fire as the fire keeps burning uninterruptedly for over 4 hours. Just compare it with a gas car fire that can be finished with about 300 gallons of water.

Water consumes time. An EV fire takes hours to extinguish compared to a gas car fire that can be controlled in minutes.

Conclusion

Whatever Stance Companies may give it is their moral duty to save fires in EVs without affecting the battery. If the battery is somewhat affected then afterward when a vehicle has been repaired energy will not escape through the battery through a method called thermal runaway where the battery is overheated for a long time which can be prone to fires, arc flashover etc. This battery issue should be resolved at the earliest so that battery replacement does not occur frequently thereby causing a pinch in the pockets of consumers.