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In the UK there's a very noticeable avalanche of anti-EV stories in certain newspapers. Presumably that has some impact on uptake and adoption. This campaign

In the UK there's a very noticeable avalanche of anti-EV stories in certain newspapers. Presumably that has some impact on uptake and adoption. This campaign to curb the lies is being very generous by assuming no active malice, just clickbait tendencies: https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/2023/09/stopburningstuff-launched-to-combat-misinformation-about-electric-vehicles/ https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/2023/09/stopburningstuff-lau... > Whether the headline is ‘your electric car will catch fire’ or ‘multi-storey car parks will collapse because of EVs’, the stories are becoming more prevalent, more inaccurate and more ridiculous – and are primarily driven by the desire of publications for more clicks. Gaining more clicks is evidently being prioritised over checking the facts, and over the urgent overriding need to reduce air pollution and combat climate change.

Reason077 3y ago
> ‘multi-storey car parks will collapse because of EVs’ Well, this actually did happen at Luton Airport recently. Massive fire destroyed hundreds of cars, partially collapsed the parking building, and caused huge disruption at the airport. Of course, it wasn't caused by an EV, as many initially suspected, but a diesel car catching fire.
- Symbiote 3y ago
  That car park was built in 2018, so hopefully it was built taking into account the weight of modern vehicles. But they built it very cheaply: > Hopkinson said there were no sprinklers in the car park and firefighters were advising the airport to ensure they were fitted. “Sprinklers may have made a positive impact on this incident,” he said. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/10/huge-fire-breaks-out-at-luton-airport-car-park https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/10/huge-fire-br...
- magicalhippo 3y ago
  The last major parking garage fire here in Norway was also started by a diesel car catching fire[1]. Although several EVs were parked and started burning, the batteries did not[2]: Observations during the fire indicate that electric vehicles did not contribute to the fire development beyond what is expected from conventional vehicles. [1]: https://elbil.no/ett-ar-etter-p-hus-brannen-pa-sola-lufthavn-elbiler-brannsikkerhet-og-myteknusing-velkommen-til-webinar/ https://elbil.no/ett-ar-etter-p-hus-brannen-pa-sola-lufthavn... [2]: https://www.dsb.no/rapporter-og-evalueringer/evaluering-av-brann-i-parkeringshus-pa-stavanger-lufthavn-sola-7.-januar-2020/ https://www.dsb.no/rapporter-og-evalueringer/evaluering-av-b...
bluescrn 3y ago
Battery fires do seem a legitimate concern for the electric-everything future. And a multi-storey car park inferno started by a battery pack is no longer a hypothetical situation. Would you charge a cheap chinese e-scooter in your home unattended? Would you even want a Tesla Powerwall in your home, given that even the Tesla Megapack grid-scale storage has had fire incidents? But the real problems with EVs in the UK are more related to charging infrastructure (large percentage of the population who can't charge at home due to living in a flat or relying on on-street parking), and the cost of electricity going up massively. And the cost of the EV to begin with, with an ever-rising cost of living and stagnant salaries.

Reason077 3y ago

> ‘multi-storey car parks will collapse because of EVs’ Well, this actually did happen at Luton Airport recently. Massive fire destroyed hundreds of cars, partially collapsed the parking building, and caused huge disruption at the airport. Of course, it wasn't caused by an EV, as many initially suspected, but a diesel car catching fire.

Symbiote 3y ago
That car park was built in 2018, so hopefully it was built taking into account the weight of modern vehicles. But they built it very cheaply: > Hopkinson said there were no sprinklers in the car park and firefighters were advising the airport to ensure they were fitted. “Sprinklers may have made a positive impact on this incident,” he said. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/10/huge-fire-breaks-out-at-luton-airport-car-park https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/10/huge-fire-br...
magicalhippo 3y ago
The last major parking garage fire here in Norway was also started by a diesel car catching fire[1]. Although several EVs were parked and started burning, the batteries did not[2]: Observations during the fire indicate that electric vehicles did not contribute to the fire development beyond what is expected from conventional vehicles. [1]: https://elbil.no/ett-ar-etter-p-hus-brannen-pa-sola-lufthavn-elbiler-brannsikkerhet-og-myteknusing-velkommen-til-webinar/ https://elbil.no/ett-ar-etter-p-hus-brannen-pa-sola-lufthavn... [2]: https://www.dsb.no/rapporter-og-evalueringer/evaluering-av-brann-i-parkeringshus-pa-stavanger-lufthavn-sola-7.-januar-2020/ https://www.dsb.no/rapporter-og-evalueringer/evaluering-av-b...

bluescrn 3y ago

Battery fires do seem a legitimate concern for the electric-everything future. And a multi-storey car park inferno started by a battery pack is no longer a hypothetical situation. Would you charge a cheap chinese e-scooter in your home unattended? Would you even want a Tesla Powerwall in your home, given that even the Tesla Megapack grid-scale storage has had fire incidents? But the real problems with EVs in the UK are more related to charging infrastructure (large percentage of the population who can't charge at home due to living in a flat or relying on on-street parking), and the cost of electricity going up massively. And the cost of the EV to begin with, with an ever-rising cost of living and stagnant salaries.