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I don't mean to be a Tesla apologist, but what's the rate of cars with ICE engines catching on fire in garages? I only ask because (n=1) I recall a major house

I don't mean to be a Tesla apologist, but what's the rate of cars with ICE engines catching on fire in garages? I only ask because (n=1) I recall a major house fire across the street from me that started in the attached garage when the car caught fire. The ultimate problem is the same: it takes a lot of stored energy to propel a car 300 miles, regardless of that energy source. Controlling that energy will be challenge regardless.

deleted 5y ago
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heavyset_go 5y ago
According to the IIHS[1], the S burns more often than than the average vehice, and as does the X. [1] https://www.iihs.org/media/c93b98d8-6a7d-44a1-810e-4468ec539e05/uIu4tg/HLDI%20Research/Fire%20losses/HLDI%5C_FireLosses%5C_1218.pdf https://www.iihs.org/media/c93b98d8-6a7d-44a1-810e-4468ec539...
- deleted 5y ago
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- lucb1e 5y ago
  From tables 1 and 2, about noncrash fire losses / insurance claims from cars built in 2016-2018 if I'm skimming this right: IVY RFC Make and series 36k 192 Tesla Model X 4dr electric 4WD 43k 140 Tesla Model S 4dr electric 4WD 50k 288 Dodge Charger HEMI 508k 101 Ford Fusion 151k 49 Honda Fit 21k 0 Chevrolet Sonic RFC = Relative claim frequency which has an asterisk in the document saying "100 = all-passenger-vehicle result". If 100 is all passenger vehicles... result? I can't parse this sentence, but I take it to mean that 100 is the average of all cars. IVY = Insured Vehicle Years, basically sample size Given that a car with 21k exposure years can have 0 claims, and there are also combustion vehicles with higher values, I'm not sure how statistically significant it is that these Tesla values are >100.
  - throwanem 5y ago
    It sounds like "relative claim frequency" is a weirdly expressed ratio, ie Charger owners make fire claims at a rate 2.88x that of the average across all passenger vehicles.
mdoms 5y ago
I have had one ICE car catch fire (in the driveway, not garage, thankfully) but it was caused by the electrical system (looks like the alternator spontaneously shorted somehow). No fuel caught fire despite the fire burning for upwards of 15 minutes before the fire crew arrives.

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heavyset_go 5y ago

According to the IIHS[1], the S burns more often than than the average vehice, and as does the X. [1] https://www.iihs.org/media/c93b98d8-6a7d-44a1-810e-4468ec539e05/uIu4tg/HLDI%20Research/Fire%20losses/HLDI%5C_FireLosses%5C_1218.pdf https://www.iihs.org/media/c93b98d8-6a7d-44a1-810e-4468ec539...

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
lucb1e 5y ago
From tables 1 and 2, about noncrash fire losses / insurance claims from cars built in 2016-2018 if I'm skimming this right: IVY RFC Make and series 36k 192 Tesla Model X 4dr electric 4WD 43k 140 Tesla Model S 4dr electric 4WD 50k 288 Dodge Charger HEMI 508k 101 Ford Fusion 151k 49 Honda Fit 21k 0 Chevrolet Sonic RFC = Relative claim frequency which has an asterisk in the document saying "100 = all-passenger-vehicle result". If 100 is all passenger vehicles... result? I can't parse this sentence, but I take it to mean that 100 is the average of all cars. IVY = Insured Vehicle Years, basically sample size Given that a car with 21k exposure years can have 0 claims, and there are also combustion vehicles with higher values, I'm not sure how statistically significant it is that these Tesla values are >100.
- throwanem 5y ago
  It sounds like "relative claim frequency" is a weirdly expressed ratio, ie Charger owners make fire claims at a rate 2.88x that of the average across all passenger vehicles.

mdoms 5y ago

I have had one ICE car catch fire (in the driveway, not garage, thankfully) but it was caused by the electrical system (looks like the alternator spontaneously shorted somehow). No fuel caught fire despite the fire burning for upwards of 15 minutes before the fire crew arrives.