2 ms·

>Tesla's are way less flammable than gasoline cars This is false. Talk to any tow truck driver. A breached battery is almost a guaranteed fire. A breached g

>Tesla's are way less flammable than gasoline cars This is false. Talk to any tow truck driver. A breached battery is almost a guaranteed fire. A breached gas tank is nothing of the sort. A battery pack provides its own ignition source. Gasoline needs external ignition. While external ignition sources are available on cars they don't seem to ignite with nearly the same frequency. In theory the EV can be less flammable. In practice they seem to be about the same (Volt, Leaf, etc) or worse (Model S) than your average ICE car. It all comes down to the design. Pinto < Tesla < average ICE car.

jungturk 8y ago
These FEMA stats suggest that only 1.6% of car fires are related to the fuel tank or lines https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v19i2.pdf https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v19i2.pdf "Mechanical failure or malfunction was the leading contributing factor of highway vehicle fires (45 percent). These mechanical failures include a leak or break in a component of the vehicle, automatic or manual control failures, or the use of an improper type of fuel. An electrical failure or malfunction, such as a short circuit, was a contributing factor in 21 percent of highway vehicle fires. The misuse of a material or product, such as spilling flammable liquid or gas too close to the vehicle, was the third leading factor contributing to the ignition of the fires (13 percent)." That same document goes into lots of detail about what heat source initiates those fires and what materials are actually catching fire. "Where the necessary data were available, the leading category of items first ignited in fatal highway vehicle fires was “liquids, piping, filters” (65 percent). Flammable liquids and gases in general were, by far, the most deadly (67 percent of deaths). Specifically, fuel in or from the engine area was the second leading item first ignited in all highway vehicle fires (18 percent) but was, by far, the leading item in both fatal fires (43 percent) and deaths (45 percent). Additionally, insulation around electrical wiring or cables was responsible for 29 percent of all highway vehicle fires, but only 2 percent of fatal fires and 2 percent of deaths."

jungturk 8y ago

These FEMA stats suggest that only 1.6% of car fires are related to the fuel tank or lines https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v19i2.pdf https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v19i2.pdf "Mechanical failure or malfunction was the leading contributing factor of highway vehicle fires (45 percent). These mechanical failures include a leak or break in a component of the vehicle, automatic or manual control failures, or the use of an improper type of fuel. An electrical failure or malfunction, such as a short circuit, was a contributing factor in 21 percent of highway vehicle fires. The misuse of a material or product, such as spilling flammable liquid or gas too close to the vehicle, was the third leading factor contributing to the ignition of the fires (13 percent)." That same document goes into lots of detail about what heat source initiates those fires and what materials are actually catching fire. "Where the necessary data were available, the leading category of items first ignited in fatal highway vehicle fires was “liquids, piping, filters” (65 percent). Flammable liquids and gases in general were, by far, the most deadly (67 percent of deaths). Specifically, fuel in or from the engine area was the second leading item first ignited in all highway vehicle fires (18 percent) but was, by far, the leading item in both fatal fires (43 percent) and deaths (45 percent). Additionally, insulation around electrical wiring or cables was responsible for 29 percent of all highway vehicle fires, but only 2 percent of fatal fires and 2 percent of deaths."