Electric Vehicle Charging Sparks Multiple House Fires, Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Damage Caused

About three weeks ago in Ashburn, Virginia, there was an electric vehicle charging malfunction that started a fire in a garage and caused more than $15,000 in damages.

That was not the only fire sparked by an electric vehicle, WTOP News reported.

In Damascus, Maryland, on April 1, a fire started from an electric car charger in a garage and caused $350,000 in damages.

Four days later in Bethesda, Maryland, a scooter overheated while charging and started a fire in an apartment, WTOP reported.

In and of itself, these are not terribly remarkable events.

The damages are unfortunate, but not catastrophic.

But when looking at the broader picture of the problems tied to electric vehicles, it is worth noting.

Though many like to advertise electric vehicles as flawless, the way of the future and the green energy solution, EVs still have problems — just like any vehicle.

As EVs become more common, the risk of fires associated with these vehicles cannot be overlooked or underplayed.

In France, two electric buses exploded.

continued:
https://www.westernjournal.com/electric-vehicle-charging-sparks-multiple-house-fires-hundreds-thousands-dollars-damage-caused/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=rightalerts&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=ttp&ats_es=57139bde57e070d7cce67b2f02003c45

If I ever get an EV I will park it under a metal carport for piece of mind.

Crusader wrote:If I ever get an EV  I will park it under a metal carport for piece of mind.

I had never thought of this.

Probably an idea to have a fire detector around where an EV will be recharged
It is a high current draw device. Sure, it is safe.
Still, I have a fire detector above the inverter for the solar panels here

Sprintcyclist wrote:

Crusader wrote:If I ever get an EV  I will park it under a metal carport for piece of mind.

I had never thought of this.

Probably an idea to have a fire detector around where an EV will be recharged
It is a high current draw device. Sure, it is safe.
Still, I have a fire detector above the inverter for the solar panels here

They burn at 500 C. Class B, even so there have been more than one incident where several have been incinerated at a community charging station.
But class B extinguishers CO2 can be dangerous as the batteries are configured for well over 150. The charger is also a high powered affair and does not mix well with them. The issue is the "frost" that accumulates on the nozzle is conductive.
As for placing it under a metal roof. That has a tendency to trap and intensify the heat.
Probly just best to make sure your insurance is up to date and let the sucker burn in open air.

From the OP article:

Lithium-ion batteries can even spontaneously combust if there is silicon expansion or dendrite formation. If that happens, then the battery can produce “a spontaneous fireball explosion that heats to 1300°F in milliseconds.”

In April, for example, a deadly lithium-ion battery fire occurred in a Tesla car crash in Houston, Texas. It took firefighters more than four hours and 30,000 gallons of water to put out the blaze, Forbes reported.

That's gotta be right dandy for the environment. :thumbsup2: