Electric vehicles

[Nabsim]

The headline in the original post isn't true either. I recall quite a lot of media reporting when that series of Teslas on forecourts spontaneously went up. My memory isn't good but I seem to think one dealer in France had 27 go at once. Of course it may only be one faulty car that takes out the rest.

Full electric doesn't work for me as I couldn't have a home charger, otherwise with mileage mrs does it would have been ideal.

I am still extremely happy with my Ioniq Hybrid and over 2 years in with it now

 

[colinm]

Think the difference is EVs spontaneously combust, is it not?
I’ve now heard car parks have started banning EVs cos of this - & cos they are so much heavier.

Do you think ICE cars don't 'spontaneously combust'? If so HIGNFY, at Luton a ICE Range Rover caught alite whilst driving in the airport carpark, the result of this was hundreds of cars destroyed.

 

[colinm]

Wow. Thanks for link.
I don't have a tesla but our daughter has one and I take the mick about it all the time..
I guess I should stop.
I do quiet like the vw buzz though I am a little concerned over batteries .

A ICE vehicle has a fuel tank which often contains much more energy than a BEV, if this catches fire it can have serious consequences. Have a nice day.

 

[Fisherman]

Oh no not this again, this has been done to death.
Minds are fixed on both sides, but please allow me to put forward my observations based not on what I read online, but on 31 years service within the fire service.

First the assertion that older cars are more likely to catch fire than newer ones was not borne out during my service. Some ice vehicles were only months old, but a faulty connection with the 12v wiring or faulty equipment led to several fires I attended. I would say the average age of ice vehicle fires I witnessed was around 6-8 years. But possibly my mind may have taken more notice of newer vehicles, giving a false perspective, but I don’t think this is the case.

Secondly fuel tanks are extremely robust in fires. The one exception would be fires started by severe rear shunts causing fuel to leak from them. But I never once witnessed an ice vehicle exploding as the result of a fire caused by an electrical fault. Most people have a false perspective on this based on what they have seen in movies.

I post on a fire service forum, and there are Scottish firefighters with 15 years service who have never attended an EV fire. The problem for the fire service is lack of experience in dealing with EV fires as they are so rare. They have operational procedures in place for handling EV fires, but the lack of experience is problematic. But obviously as the amount of EVs increase this may well change.

Please note I have offered no opinion here, simply attempted to offer my observations, which are not one sided, pro one argument or the other.

 

[Drover]

We also have a hybred car and the batteries are under the front seats.
Personally I would prefer them under the bonnet or in the boot..
But it is what it is.

 

[colinm]

Secondly fuel tanks are extremely robust in fires. The one exception would be fires started by severe rear shunts causing fuel to leak from them. But I never once witnessed an ice vehicle exploding as the result of a fire caused by an electrical fault. Most people have a false perspective on this based on what they have seen in movies.

My comments are based on my personnel experience of one of the worse motorway crashes (ok that was many years ago), but of more relevance my cousin who attended Luton and the "rivers of fire".

 

[Fisherman]

My comments are based on my personnel experience of one of the worse motorway crashes (ok that was many years ago), but of more relevance my cousin who attended Luton and the "rivers of fire".

You cannot base the integrity of fuel tanks on one accident. I attended many RTAs on motorways with multiple fatalities, and multiple vehicles involved. I can honestly state that the integrity of fuel tanks throughout my service were a surprise to me. But I did attend an accident in Glasgows Charing Cross where a driver was killed when his fuel tank ruptured after an accident. I have attended incidents were the cars model was so difficult to determine we had to use the vehicles number plate to do so, and yet the fuel tanks remained intact with no fuel leak.

Like most of us, you have probably witnessed the aftermath of road accidents, were there was no rupturing of vehicle tanks, but this one accident sticks in your mind for obvious reasons.

 

[Martin P]

At least when an ev catches fire its no great great loss. Just another burnt out washing machine. How bad it must be to lose an Aston Martin or TR6 or E type or something

 

[Pudsey Bear]

We bought a MG3 self charging Hybrid in July, (nice enough car but the crap nanny software ruins it) we just got a look at the dealer servicing for the first 4 years, no mention of doing anything with the EVside of it at all, I thought maybe it's too insignificant to warrant a mention but they do mention a new oil drain plug washer at each service and a new fob battery at 4 years.

 

[colinm]

You cannot base the integrity of fuel tanks on one accident. I attended many RTAs on motorways with multiple fatalities, and multiple vehicles involved. I can honestly state that the integrity of fuel tanks throughout my service were a surprise to me. But I did attend an accident in Glasgows Charing Cross where a driver was killed when his fuel tank ruptured after an accident. I have attended incidents were the cars model was so difficult to determine we had to use the vehicles number plate to do so, and yet the fuel tanks remained intact with no fuel leak.

Like most of us, you have probably witnessed the aftermath of road accidents, were there was no rupturing of vehicle tanks, but this one accident sticks in your mind for obvious reasons.

I agree, but the anti's will keep saying about EV fires when it's known that the likelihood is no more than a ICE, and two of the worse carpark fires in the UK where from ICE vehicles. Under present legislation there will in all likelihood come a time when a major carpark fire is caused by an EV, but that's just the nature of vehicles, they will go wrong and will catch fire, no matter how they are powered, and if they are stored next to each other it is is difficult to extinguish the fire no matter how they are powered.

 

[GeoffL]

First the assertion that older cars are more likely to catch fire than newer ones was not borne out during my service.

However, it is borne out by published statistics. From an article in "Honest John" (link below):

The chances of a car catching fire increase as it ages. The data shows that 77% of vehicles that caught fire in 2017 were older than ten years and didn’t have proper maintenance. ​

Now that's for older vehicles that didn't have proper maintenance, so the total (to include those that did) must be greater.

Link: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/the-latest-car-fire-statistics/

 

[Fisherman]

I agree, but the anti's will keep saying about EV fires when it's known that the likelihood is no more than a ICE, and two of the worse carpark fires in the UK where from ICE vehicles. Under present legislation there will in all likelihood come a time when a major carpark fire is caused by an EV, but that's just the nature of vehicles, they will go wrong and will catch fire, no matter how they are powered, and if they are stored next to each other it is is difficult to extinguish the fire no matter how they are powered.

Hence why I don’t offer opinions on this topic, some folk will look for hours online to convince themselves that they are right, there’s no point in trying to persuade them. All I did was give an honest breakdown of what I. Witnessed over 31 years, if anyone wants to question this that’s their choice.

 

[Fisherman]

However, it is borne out by published statistics. From an article in "Honest John" (link below):

The chances of a car catching fire increase as it ages. The data shows that 77% of vehicles that caught fire in 2017 were older than ten years and didn’t have proper maintenance. ​

Now that's for older vehicles that didn't have proper maintenance, so the total (to include those that did) must be greater.

Link: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/the-latest-car-fire-statistics/

I never offered an opinion nor checked online Geoff, merely expressed what I witnessed over 31 years. I can assure you I am not lying, I witnessed almost brand new cars involved in fires for the reasons I gave. But as I indicated most were between 6-8 years of age. I am not claiming that what I experienced personally is representative of any surveys carried out and posted online. But I did take a look at the thread, and it seems to underline much of what I posted.

Most of the new cars would probably have been repairable and did not suffer catastrophic damage. Also most car fires I attended were the result of theft and deliberately set on fire.

 

[Martin P]

However, it is borne out by published statistics. From an article in "Honest John" (link below):

The chances of a car catching fire increase as it ages. The data shows that 77% of vehicles that caught fire in 2017 were older than ten years and didn’t have proper maintenance. ​

Now that's for older vehicles that didn't have proper maintenance, so the total (to include those that did) must be greater.

Link: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/the-latest-car-fire-statistics/

What percentage were Diesel

 

[mark61]

Hence why I don’t offer opinions on this topic, some folk will look for hours online to convince themselves that they are right, there’s no point in trying to persuade them. All I did was give an honest breakdown of what I. Witnessed over 31 years, if anyone wants to question this that’s their choice.

I was bought up to question everything.

I distinctly remember my old man telling me, "question everything boy". "Why" I asked. That's when he got the cane out.

 

[Fisherman]

I was bought up to question everything.

I distinctly remember my old man telling me, "question everything boy". "Why" I asked. That's when he got the cane out.

Like father, like son

 

[Fisherman]

I was bought up to question everything.

I distinctly remember my old man telling me, "question everything boy". "Why" I asked. That's when he got the cane out.

Just to clarify Mark, you would only be questioning what I claim to have witnessed.
As I stated I have not offered an opinion.
My post 24 can be viewed as both anti or for on both sides, hence why it has been questioned by both sides, by both Colin and Geoff.

 

[Nabsim]

We bought a MG3 self charging Hybrid in July, (nice enough car but the crap nanny software ruins it) we just got a look at the dealer servicing for the first 4 years, no mention of doing anything with the EVside of it at all, I thought maybe it's too insignificant to warrant a mention but they do mention a new oil drain plug washer at each service and a new fob battery at 4 years.

Can't say I noticed before but had my Hyundai serviced on Tuesday, reading the bump they give you afterwards seems you get full breakdown/recovery including home start for 12 months when they do a service. I can't say how much the service would cost as its a motability vehicle but thought that was quite good for normal owners

 

[Fazerloz]

 

[Fisherman]

View attachment 138059

This might start more rumors.