4 ms·

> it's impossible to extinguish a lithium battery Really?

• marcosdumay 3y ago
  The thing about batteries is that they include both components necessary for maintaining a fire. (Just like explosives, by the way, but less mixed.)
  • KRAKRISMOTT 3y ago
    Do lead acids contain oxidizer and fuel too?
    • marcosdumay 3y ago
      Yes, all batteries do. But both are much less reactive than on lithium batteries.
      • KRAKRISMOTT 3y ago
        Why though? Are all batteries inherently two way redox reactions?
        • marcosdumay 3y ago
          Yes, rechargeable batteries work by two way redox reactions.
• jeroenhd 3y ago
  Firefighters let electric cars burn out far away from other things that can be set on fire or they're temporarily cooled off long enough to be dunked into a shipping container full of water so they can be moved safely. Lithium batteries contain extremely strong oxidizers, which means starving the fire is near impossible. Cooling the reaction down is a way to make the flames go out, but damaged lithium batteries tend to let out hydrogen gas (very flammable, obviously) and the heat of one burning battery cell can damage the one(s) next to it. You can't just extinguish them because they'll relight themselves later. In fact, several Teslas have lit on fire hours after a somewhat minor incident that the car could just drive away from. Aside from dropping the burning wreck into the ocean, I don't know how you could possibly hope to really extinguish a burning electric car on a boat. When those things go, they go! Electric cars are great, but electric car fires are terrible. That's not necessarily a problem; ICE cars go up in flames all the time too, but they're easier to put out. I'll gladly take the lower risk of self combustion for an EV parked in a garage over the risk of an ICE car parked in the same spot; how hard it is to put out a car fire isn't really relevant when you're lucky to get out of the house safely anyway.