Thermal runaway prevents rescue of 3 victims in crash, authorities say
Thermal runaway prevents rescue of 3 victims in crash, authorities say
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/620960
This accident could be a scene in a horror movie.
I'm not a Tesla fan by any measure, but I edited the headline for this post. The original headline made it seem like a specific feature of the Cybertruck trapped the victims, but then the article explains it was really that the battery was burning so fiercely that the police just couldn't free them. The deadly feature of the accident was the lithium battery, which is common to many makes and manufacturers of EVs.
- Buy a swasticar
- Have fun in the oven
Do these ones also come with the electronic door handles that don't work when the car crashes?
Yes. The doors are electronically controlled, and when the power goes out (like when the battery is on fire) the doors need to be manually overridden. The manual overrides are simple enough to find in the front. They blend in with the armrest, but it’s just a handle that you lift… But the rear overrides are hidden behind a rubber fake bottom in the door pocket. You need to pull out the rubber mat, dig through a plastic cover panel, and then pull a cord.
And since you only really have about 20 panicked seconds to escape before the heat+fumes cook your brain, digging through door panels isn’t exactly the first thing people do. Most will spend all 20 seconds furiously trying to unlock the door using the method they’re used to.
No idea.
The batteries should be protected and rated for a crash like that, anything less is unsafe and negligent on the manufacturer.
Alcohol and drugs are just the right unsafe and negligent combination to start an EV fire. Credit where it's due.
Energy is volatile, there's only so much that can be done. Not every single fire is one that can be prevented beyond just not getting in the car in the first place (i.e. giving people a reasonable alternative via well maintained and affordable public transport.)
I haven't heard this happening with any other EV brands.
Other EV brands have handles that work when the battery goes haywire.
Yeah, auto makers learned a long time ago why failsafes are necessary. It’s right there in the word; It fails safely. And safety standards are writ in blood.
But Musk insisted he knew better, and required Tesla to use electronic locks for the doors because he wanted to be new and different. He didn’t understand why every other auto maker used mechanical locks, and just assumed it was because of a failure to innovate.
BYD? I have heard quite a bit about those.
The statistics I found quickly were a bit muddy and pointless to share. However, I am sure there is data out there, but I am too tired to look for it. I would bet that every manufacturer has seen at least one fire, but that is just a guess when I think about the thousands of vehicles that are in the wild.
Teslas get the most attention because they are Teslas. TBH, I don't think a battery fire in a Hyundai would get much attention by the press.
Kinda funny because byd makes tesla's batteries.