Electric Vehicles Could Have a FATAL Safety Flaw
(Daily360.com) – Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as the world attempts to move toward a “green” future. Unfortunately, the vehicles have apparently become a problem that could pose a hazard for firefighters.
‘Trick Birthday Candles:‘ Firefighters Share Safety Concerns About Electric Vehicle Battery Fires https://t.co/r127atp7oE via @BreitbartNews
— Yolanda Wattenbarger (@yowattenbarger1) August 17, 2022
Firefighters are now expressing increasing concern over EV fires as they present several unique dangers, such as the very high temperatures lithium-ion batteries create when they burn. Electrical shock as a result of handling damaged batteries is another concern.
The Regulatory Review mentions that while a combustion engine certainly has a higher chance of bursting into flames than an EV, firefighters don’t have the same problems putting out traditional car fires. At one point, Chief Palmer Buck of The Woodlands Township Fire Department told NBC News that EVs were like “trick birthday candles” due to the fact the cars typically reignite even after firefighters have put them out.
The National Transportation Safety Board recently discovered that many fire stations across the country don’t offer adequate training on dealing with EV fires. Staff who aren’t properly taught how to respond may be vastly unprepared to handle these incidents.
EV manufacturers seem oddly silent on the subject in many cases. Over the past 12 years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has started training first responders on how to deal with EV fires. To date, they’ve only reached about 20% of the nation’s 1.1 million firefighters, leaving a considerable gap in knowledge when it comes to knowledge on how to cool and monitor EV batteries during and after an emergency.
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