October 13, 2022: Floods that have swept through Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian have created a “ticking timebomb” of fire-prone lithium EV batteries, a top state official warned on October 10.
Florida is still reeling from devastation wrought by the category four hurricane which first made landfall on September 28.
Now the state’s chief financial officer and fire marshal, Jimmy Patronis (pictured), has urged federal transport safety chiefs to urgently assess fire risks associated with saltwater on EVs, saying firefighters need more support to deal with an inevitable increase in fires associated with electric-powered vehicles.
Patronis said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): “I joined North Collier Fire Rescue to assess response activities related to Hurricane Ian and saw with my own eyes an EV continuously ignite, and reignite, as fireteams doused the vehicle with tens of thousands of gallons of water.
“Subsequently, I was informed by the fire department that the vehicle once again reignited when it was loaded onto the tow truck. Based on my conversations with area firefighters, this is not an isolated incident. I am concerned that we may have a ticking time bomb on our hands.”
Patronis said much of the existing federal guidance on disaster response involving submerged vehicles does not account for the risks associated with the exposure of lithium car batteries to saltwater.
He wants the NHTSA to require EV manufacturers of the dangers related to vehicles impacted by storm surge, and said his office will distribute that information in Florida as soon as it becomes available.
The phenomenon of EVs catching fire after exposure to tropical storms was first noticed in November 2012 when 16 Fisker Karma vehicles caught fire and burned to the ground after being submerged by saltwater from Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge. Each parked car in Port Newark, New Jersey was worth around $100,000 each and provoked one of the earliest debates on the electrical safety of EVs.
Patronis has also asked for guidance on whether personal protective equipment used by emergency rescue teams effectively protects first responders from poisonous gases associated with EV fires.
Illustrative image: Ray Bilcliff / Pexels
