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> but they also seem to happen less frequently. Do they? Even comparing only other new cars? I just don’t trust the claims so far.

workshirt 4y ago
It definitely happens much more frequently. So frequently that it doesn’t get articles written about it. It’s just not news. I saw a newer gas pick-up’s entire engine on fire and spilling spilling fire onto the road in the pouring rain just a week ago.
- patmorgan23 4y ago
  A couple points EVs are novel so anything happening with them is going to get more coverage even if ICE have the same problem. There are FAR more ICE cars on the road than EVs so we have to adjust for that in figuring out the rate one would burst into flames.
  - bryanlarsen 4y ago
    The numbers in rcxdude's post are given in percentages
theflyingelvis 4y ago
Anecdotal but on my drive home I regularly see car-b-ques of ICE cars. Not so many EVs.
- rcxdude 4y ago
  There is a sampling bias there though: most cars are still ICE, so if they caught fire at the same rate you would expect the same observation.
- dsfyu404ed 4y ago
  You’re using a weird definition of regular. I’ve commuted almost a million miles in my life and seen one fire and that was a garbage truck. Of the “irregular” things I’ve seen on the road fire is probably one of the least common.
rcxdude 4y ago
Here's some data: https://www.autoinsuranceez.com/gas-vs-electric-car-fires/ https://www.autoinsuranceez.com/gas-vs-electric-car-fires/ What's odd is hybrids seem even more likely than petrol cars to catch fire, though EVs are far less likely. I guess the combination gives you the worst of both worlds in terms of fire risk.
- lazide 4y ago
  It’s a very complex setup, mechanically and electrically, and yes does expose you to both battery and flammable liquid issues. It’s amazing it isn’t more of a problem, frankly.
- jtbayly 4y ago
  From that article: “In older vehicles, the wiring and batteries start to break down, putting them more at risk of catching fire in an accident. Since most electric vehicles aren’t yet at the advanced age of older gas vehicles, there currently isn’t any data showing if they will be at a higher risk of battery and electric explosions as they age.” So this is not yet corrected for age of the vehicle.
_ea1k 4y ago
Its hard to say for sure. They haven't been on the road in large numbers for long enough to make comprehensive age adjusted estimates. There just aren't a lot of 10+ year old EVs on the road to use as comparison. The few that are on the road tend to be very low volume vehicles and diy conversions. Having said that, if you watch Tesla crashes much, you'll see a lot of amazingly hard side impacts that don't result in fires. Its actually pretty surprising to me how unusual post-crash fires are.

workshirt 4y ago

It definitely happens much more frequently. So frequently that it doesn’t get articles written about it. It’s just not news. I saw a newer gas pick-up’s entire engine on fire and spilling spilling fire onto the road in the pouring rain just a week ago.

patmorgan23 4y ago
A couple points EVs are novel so anything happening with them is going to get more coverage even if ICE have the same problem. There are FAR more ICE cars on the road than EVs so we have to adjust for that in figuring out the rate one would burst into flames.
- bryanlarsen 4y ago
  The numbers in rcxdude's post are given in percentages

theflyingelvis 4y ago

Anecdotal but on my drive home I regularly see car-b-ques of ICE cars. Not so many EVs.

rcxdude 4y ago
There is a sampling bias there though: most cars are still ICE, so if they caught fire at the same rate you would expect the same observation.
dsfyu404ed 4y ago
You’re using a weird definition of regular. I’ve commuted almost a million miles in my life and seen one fire and that was a garbage truck. Of the “irregular” things I’ve seen on the road fire is probably one of the least common.

rcxdude 4y ago

Here's some data: https://www.autoinsuranceez.com/gas-vs-electric-car-fires/ https://www.autoinsuranceez.com/gas-vs-electric-car-fires/ What's odd is hybrids seem even more likely than petrol cars to catch fire, though EVs are far less likely. I guess the combination gives you the worst of both worlds in terms of fire risk.

lazide 4y ago
It’s a very complex setup, mechanically and electrically, and yes does expose you to both battery and flammable liquid issues. It’s amazing it isn’t more of a problem, frankly.
jtbayly 4y ago
From that article: “In older vehicles, the wiring and batteries start to break down, putting them more at risk of catching fire in an accident. Since most electric vehicles aren’t yet at the advanced age of older gas vehicles, there currently isn’t any data showing if they will be at a higher risk of battery and electric explosions as they age.” So this is not yet corrected for age of the vehicle.

_ea1k 4y ago

Its hard to say for sure. They haven't been on the road in large numbers for long enough to make comprehensive age adjusted estimates. There just aren't a lot of 10+ year old EVs on the road to use as comparison. The few that are on the road tend to be very low volume vehicles and diy conversions. Having said that, if you watch Tesla crashes much, you'll see a lot of amazingly hard side impacts that don't result in fires. Its actually pretty surprising to me how unusual post-crash fires are.