Electric cars submerged by Hurricane Ian are now on fire | VIDEO

Florida fire crews, in USA, they are no longer enough. All on account of the fact that in the last few hours there have been atypical cases of burning cars.

)Is about electric cars that have started to burn on their own. According to local reports, at least a hundred of these types of vehicles caught fire for no apparent reason this Monday in different areas of the state.

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The authorities explain that, although there is no history of similar cases, everything indicates that the electric cars that began to burn unexpectedly they are the same ones that were submerged underwater when Hurricane Ian, then a category 4 hurricane, hit the Florida coast with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour on September 28.

It has been reported that the mixture of electricity and salt water is causing the batteries of flooded vehicles to corrode, leading to a fire.

Jimmy Patronis, financial director and Florida Fire Chief, confirmed that “there are thousands of electric cars disabled by Hurricane Ian.” And he explained that “as the batteries corrode from the salt water, they spontaneously catch fire. Firefighters are learning as they go, they have never faced anything like this.”

Electric vehicles are catching on fire due to electrical system failure caused by saltwater storm surge from Hurricane Ian, catching homes on fire, endangering first responders and FL families. I’m calling on EV companies to partner with us to find solutions. We must take action. pic.twitter.com/L4TIuMZNzE

— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 11, 2022

And the situation is complicated, since Florida has close to 95,000 registered electric vehicles, according to the US Department of Energy. It is the second state with the most cars of this type. The only state with more electric vehicles is California, with 563,000.

Alone in the city naplesIn Florida, there have been four reports of Tesla fires since Hurricane Ian.

For firefighters, this situation has represented a challenge, as they explain that turning off an electric car completely is complicated and the process can take time. hours and requires thousands of liters of water.

Patronis stated that “special training is needed to ensure that the fires are really put out” because there are vehicles that have even burned again after certain hours.

Firefighters explain that the fire is caused by a chemical reaction to the mixture of lithium with salt waterand that is precisely one of the main problems of electric cars.

Patronis assured that it takes a lot of water, and also foam, to completely extinguish one of these fires.

Stephen Gollanof the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, told NewsNation that the batteries of the Tesla, one of the brands that develops these vehicles, are located under the bodywork, so when the vehicles were covered by salt water during a storm like Ian’s, unique in this century, the batteries of lithium ions began to corrode.

The energy stored in those batteries, he added, does not dissipate over time, so batteries continue to store it. “The fact that the vehicle is submerged does not mean that the energy is discharged in any way. Anytime you mix electrical components and salt water it’s a recipe for disaster,” he stated.

Given this situation, the firefighters have asked the owners of electric cars that have suffered flooding to take your vehicles out of garages and move them to unpopulated areas where they do not pose a risk if they catch fire.

Ian’s passage through Florida was devastating, causing significant flooding, extensive property damage, and at least 119 deaths.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.