Numerous EVs caught within the path of Hurricane Ian might have their waterlogged batteries erupt into flames, inflicting severe issues for firefighters since they require particular coaching with a view to be handled. Jimmy Patronis, Florida Chief Monetary Officer and Fireplace Marshal, used his Twitter profile to warn in regards to the EV-related challenges within the aftermath of a pure catastrophe, after being known as to the scene of an incident by North Collier Fireplace Rescue (NCFR) forces.

Patronis’s posts have been accompanied by movies displaying how laborious it’s for firefighters to take care of a Tesla Mannequin X hearth in the course of the road. Within the background, we are able to hear a bystander stating that 1,500 gallons of water had already been poured on the smoking Tesla. As famous by the state hearth marshal, placing out a battery hearth requires “particular coaching and understanding of EVs”. The NCFR acknowledged the problem of the state of affairs with one other put up on Twitter.

See Additionally: Tesla Mannequin X Someway Falls Into A Marina, Begins Releasing Bubbles And Smoke On The Water

It takes particular coaching and understanding of EVs to make sure these fires are put out rapidly and safely. Due to @NCFRPio for his or her laborious work. #Hurricanelan pic.twitter.com/oN0RvQTG2U

— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 6, 2022

In response to a latest research by AutoInsuranceEZ, hybrid automobiles are extra delicate to fires with 3,474 fires per 100,000 models, adopted by combustion-engined automobiles with 1,529 fires per 100,000 models. Electrical automobiles are safer by a big margin, with solely 25.1 fires per 100,000 automobiles, though this sort of hearth is considerably more durable to extinguish. Because of the corrosion in several cells of the lithium-ion battery, an electrical automobile might emit smoke and flames for extended durations of time, even after being flooded with water.

Whereas this isn’t the primary time EVs are caught in a hurricane or different water-related pure disasters, the CFO described it as “a brand new problem that our firefighters haven’t confronted earlier than. A minimum of on this sort of scale”. Certainly, the variety of EVs on the roads has been growing previously few years. As reported by The Epoch Instances, the newest information from the Division of Power exhibits that Florida has the second-highest variety of registered EVs in the US, behind California. Extra particularly, in December 2021 there have been 95,000 EVs in Florida, and 563,070 EVs in California.

The Biden administration is providing incentives for EVs whereas investing closely in infrastructure, concentrating on half of the brand new automobiles offered in 2030 to have zero-emission powertrains. Whereas this might assist drastically cut back emissions in 2030 by 50-52 % in comparison with 2005 ranges, some imagine that the world may not be prepared for such a lot of EVs on the roads.

Thanks @bob_rommel we admire your willingness to be on scene so you might see first hand how tough these fires are to extinguish https://t.co/hndPL2ZDct

— North Collier Fireplace Rescue (@NCFRPio) October 6, 2022

Screenshots by Jimmy Patronis