Can Your Electric Vehicle Catch Fire During a Hurricane?

• Oct. 9, 2024

Officials successful Florida warned residents to move their electrical vehicles distant from imaginable flood zones up of Hurricane Milton to debar nan consequence that nan cars could burst into flames aft being submerged successful saltwater for extended periods.

“Keep electrical vehicles and lithium-ion batteries distant from floodwaters and large wind surge,” urged nan Facebook page for Hillsborough County, which contains Tampa.

Electric vehicles incorporate lithium-ion batteries, which tin besides beryllium recovered successful e-bikes and scooters, wheelchairs, play carts, electrical section mowers and devices for illustration cordless drills. If these batteries are soaked successful saltwater, immoderate tin ignite aft floodwaters subside.

It’s a comparatively uncommon problem, but nan consequence is real.

Of nan 48 lithium-ion artillery fires attributed to Hurricane Helene, 11 were caused by electrical vehicles, said State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis. The remainder were electrical wheelchairs, hoverboards, scooters and play carts. The E.V.s that caught occurrence were a mini fraction of nan much than 254,000 electrical vehicles that were registered successful Florida astatine nan extremity of 2023.

Why do batteries drawback occurrence successful floods?

If saltwater reaches nan interior of a lithium-ion battery, it tin origin nan cells to short-circuit by conducting energy betwixt nan affirmative and antagonistic terminals. This generates heat.

In immoderate cases, that power tin spur a concatenation guidance wrong nan artillery called thermal runaway. Heat from 1 compartment starts pouring nan integrative separators wrong neighboring cells, which causes further short-circuiting and generates much heat. The extremity result: a occurrence that tin past for hours and is difficult to extinguish.