Photo: IFD
There's a very good reason Teslas (and electric cars in general) need to have such good safety ratings, and sadly it was put on display this morning when a Model S driver lost control of her car and crashed it into a tree, then a building, setting the sedan on fire.
The battery pack is the most important part of an EV as it dictates its maximum range or charging speed, but that's not why it is so well protected. It all has to do with what happens when a lithium-ion battery catches fire. Or, well, rather explodes.
They teach us that fossil fuel, be it gasoline or diesel, is extremely flammable, and that's true, but the chemicals inside the battery cells are just as dangerous. They're perfectly fine as long as the casing doesn't get punctured, but when that happens, there's a very high risk of explosion.
It takes a lot to damage the battery pack of a Tesla Model S, but it's not impossible as the tragic accident that happened this morning in Indianapolis shows once again. Reports say the EV caught fire after its driver sped through an intersection at around 1 a.m. local time, losing control and hitting a tree and a building.
Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith described the aftermath of the accident: "The impact of the crash disintegrated the car leaving a debris field over 150 yards long. Firefighters arrived and had to contend with the car fire and multiple fires in the road left by the small batteries and magnesium strewn about."
“There was one big explosion first, then there were several little small ones and debris just kept popping up in the air like somebody was at a fireworks display or something," Alfred Finnell Jr., a witness of the crash, told Wishtv.com.
The firefighters needed fifteen minutes before they could extract the passenger. The woman driving the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male accompanying her died at the hospital shortly after.
Just like that Model S that burned in Norway under the careful supervision of the people who were supposed to put it out - and other similar cases - this shows how ill-prepared the firefighters are to deal with fires caused by electric batteries. Things will undoubtedly change once EVs become the norm, but those who already made the switch would feel a lot better if things happened a bit quicker.
They teach us that fossil fuel, be it gasoline or diesel, is extremely flammable, and that's true, but the chemicals inside the battery cells are just as dangerous. They're perfectly fine as long as the casing doesn't get punctured, but when that happens, there's a very high risk of explosion.
It takes a lot to damage the battery pack of a Tesla Model S, but it's not impossible as the tragic accident that happened this morning in Indianapolis shows once again. Reports say the EV caught fire after its driver sped through an intersection at around 1 a.m. local time, losing control and hitting a tree and a building.
Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith described the aftermath of the accident: "The impact of the crash disintegrated the car leaving a debris field over 150 yards long. Firefighters arrived and had to contend with the car fire and multiple fires in the road left by the small batteries and magnesium strewn about."
“There was one big explosion first, then there were several little small ones and debris just kept popping up in the air like somebody was at a fireworks display or something," Alfred Finnell Jr., a witness of the crash, told Wishtv.com.
The firefighters needed fifteen minutes before they could extract the passenger. The woman driving the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male accompanying her died at the hospital shortly after.
Just like that Model S that burned in Norway under the careful supervision of the people who were supposed to put it out - and other similar cases - this shows how ill-prepared the firefighters are to deal with fires caused by electric batteries. Things will undoubtedly change once EVs become the norm, but those who already made the switch would feel a lot better if things happened a bit quicker.
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