Would you have an electric car if you had the money for a new car and were in the market for one?

[Horse]

Not to mention all the non-hybrid cars and bikes which have 12V lithium ion batteries.

And we all happily walk around with Lion battery phones in our pockets.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Some people have one sewn into their chest



The main point to consider IMO is not that Lithium batteries don't catch fire. It's more than petrol and diesel really really catch fire! They take far less provocation to catch fire too and once they're going the really fucking go. Which is why we run engines on them after all.

If you tried to introduce petrol cars now you'd get nowhere 'cause it's far too sketchy. But familiarity, contempt etc. "We" have managed to make petrol cars safe enough / familiar enough that we don't worry about the enormous fire risk they pose.

So pointing out that Lithium Ion batteries can catch fire isn't really a killer argument IMO.

[MyLittleStudPony]

We're a two PREE-US family now. No other vehicles.

It feels good to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

[Horse]

So pointing out that Lithium Ion batteries can catch fire isn't really a killer argument IMO.

It's putting out the fires that's vastly different.

Although when unleaded was introduced, that was worse than before. A fire officer was asked whether the change would be tough for them?

"No," he replied, comedic pause ... "By the time we arrive they're usually burnt out anyway."

[Pirahna]

Didn't Land Rover recall around 120,000 Range Rovers because of a fault which caused diesel to get sprayed on the exhaust manifold and the car catching fire?

A quick Google says diesel will ignite at 210 degrees C, an exhaust manifold can reach 4 times that.

[Horse]

They're not alone.

British carmaker Vauxhall is recalling 235,000 Zafira people carriers for a third time over new fears the vehicles could catch fire.

Other cars from the Zafira B range were previously recalled in two stages in 2015 and 2016 after campaigners claimed more than 300 had burst into flames.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ferrari fitted incendiary wheel arch liners to the 458, which feels like an unwise decision in hindsight.

[Treadeager]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/1 ... -m1-leeds/

Watch: £190,000 McLaren electric hybrid bursts into flames on test drive
Both passengers able to escape unharmed after the vehicle catches fire on the M1 near Leeds

By
Jack Simpson,
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT
16 October 2023 • 7:27pm
tmg.video.placeholder.alt iNYvy17YGes
A £190,000 McLaren plug-in hybrid burst into flames while on a test drive.

Footage online shows the burning McLaren Artura after it caught fire on the M1 near Leeds.

The fire broke out during a “demo drive” of the luxury car from a showroom nearby. Both passengers escaped the vehicle unharmed, and a specialist was sent to the scene to dispose of the vehicle’s battery.

The Artura is the British luxury carmaker’s first attempt at a hybrid sports car and can hit speeds of 60mph in just 2.4 seconds. It has a top speed of 205mph.

In December last year, McLaren was forced to recall 164 Artura vehicles in the US after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified a fire risk owing to a nut on the fuel pipe becoming loose.

The manufacturer said at the time that less than 50 cars had been received by customers, as the rest were either in transit or part of McLaren’s internal fleet.

Flames burst from the car during a 'demo drive'
Flames burst from the car during a 'demo drive' CREDIT: YappApp
The message published by the NHTSA along with the recall announcement said: “The end flare of the fuel pipe is situated close to engine components which have a high operating temperature. If fuel is released in proximity to these components, it could result in thermal activity.”

There is no indication that this fault began the fire and the cause of the blaze is still unknown.

A McLaren spokesman said: “We are aware of this incident and we are investigating the circumstances but have no further information to provide at this time.”

The flames quickly engulfed the supercar
The flames quickly engulfed the supercar CREDIT: YappApp
The vehicle was initially expected to be launched in October 2020 but this was pushed back several times with the carmaker blaming the global semiconductor shortage for some of the delays. Part of it is being manufactured in its Advanced Manufacturing Park near Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

A spokesman from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We received a call from the driver at 14.28 on Sunday the 15th regarding a hybrid McLaren which went up in flames during its demo drive in Leeds on the roundabout near the M1 junction 44.

“We sent crews from Hunslet, which arrived on the scene at 14.35. We also sent a hazardous material officer to dispose of the electrical battery. The fire was put out at 15.02 with no report of injury.”

[Mr. Dazzle]

Dangerous stuff that petrol! Once loose nut and you go up in flames.

[Taipan]

It does seem there are a lot of EVs catching fire. Is it just adverse publicity, or is there some stats that bear out the claims that these milk floats are actually incendiary devices?

[Rockburner]

It does seem there are a lot of EVs catching fire. Is it just adverse publicity, or is there some stats that bear out the claims that these milk floats are actually incendiary devices?

Yes, no, probably, don't know


(apply as applicable).

[Slenver]

It does seem there are a lot of EVs catching fire. Is it just adverse publicity, or is there some stats that bear out the claims that these milk floats are actually incendiary devices?

The stats bear out that EVs catch fire a tiny percentage of the times that petrol and diesel cars do. But a) They're much, much harder to put out, and b) Every single one makes the front page of the Sun

[ZRX61]

I think you're all missing the big benefit here:
One less fucking Range Rover.

[Mussels]

It does seem there are a lot of EVs catching fire. Is it just adverse publicity, or is there some stats that bear out the claims that these milk floats are actually incendiary devices?

The stats bear out that EVs catch fire a tiny percentage of the times that petrol and diesel cars do. But a) They're much, much harder to put out, and b) Every single one makes the front page of the Sun

EVs are generally much newer and less tampered with so I suspect the stats chosen aren't entirely fair.

The Liverpool fire mentioned a few posts ago was down to a Land Rover using an alternative fuel source (did they have to be so vague?). It could be EV but as it was a horse show then LPG is also likely.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I think you're all missing the big benefit here:
One less fucking Range Rover.

There were probably a few among the other 1200 cars too!

[mangocrazy]

This Aussie chap has a way of speaking that can grate, but most of what he says seems pretty much well thought out. In this video he's referring to the recent Luton Airport car park fire which destroyed around 1400 cars and a large part of the infrastructure. Press releases initially were at pains to point out that the fire wasn't started by an EV, but by a diesel car, but they conveniently omitted to mention that the Range Rover in question was a hybrid...

[Slenver]

This Aussie chap has a way of speaking that can grate, but most of what he says seems pretty much well thought out. In this video he's referring to the recent Luton Airport car park fire which destroyed around 1400 cars and a large part of the infrastructure. Press releases initially were at pains to point out that the fire wasn't started by an EV, but by a diesel car, but they conveniently omitted to mention that the Range Rover in question was a hybrid...

A lot of what he says makes sense, but like others on here, he seems to be confusing mild hybrid with plug-in hybrid. Admittedly the PR term 'mild hybrid' doesn't help much, but still...

He gets very excited about the '15,000' watt hours of electricity in an 'Evoque hybrid'... but the mild hybrid only has 200.

Again, I'm not saying that proves anything one way or the other (it definitely doesn't), but there's an awful lot of hyperbole in these discussions which isn't helpful.

[Mr. Dazzle]

He gets very excited about the '15,000' watt hours of electricity in an 'Evoque hybrid'... but the mild hybrid only has 200.

Just for comparison like, the full tank of diesel in that same car contains about half a million watt hours

[Potter]

We're a two PREE-US family now. No other vehicles.

It feels good to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I probably nullify your contribution every time I start up my 4.4L V8 Range Rover

It feels good to be a man, with a mans car

[mangocrazy]

This Aussie chap has a way of speaking that can grate, but most of what he says seems pretty much well thought out. In this video he's referring to the recent Luton Airport car park fire which destroyed around 1400 cars and a large part of the infrastructure. Press releases initially were at pains to point out that the fire wasn't started by an EV, but by a diesel car, but they conveniently omitted to mention that the Range Rover in question was a hybrid...

A lot of what he says makes sense, but like others on here, he seems to be confusing mild hybrid with plug-in hybrid. Admittedly the PR term 'mild hybrid' doesn't help much, but still...

He gets very excited about the '15,000' watt hours of electricity in an 'Evoque hybrid'... but the mild hybrid only has 200.

Again, I'm not saying that proves anything one way or the other (it definitely doesn't), but there's an awful lot of hyperbole in these discussions which isn't helpful.

The most telling point (to my mind) that he made was to point out the nature and location of the initial flame; it was right where the hybrid batteries would be located and the flame was bright white/orange with virtually no smoke, let alone the plumes of thick black smoke a diesel fire produces. That to me spells battery fire, not hydrocarbons. It's also comparatively difficult to set diesel alight especially when compared to petrol and, as said before, produces lots of black smoke which was absent from the blaze in the video.