Luton Airport fire: EV involved?

[Tim Lamb]

From my reading of Jack Reacher novels, America doesn't seem to put the same value on vehicle maintenance (MOTs etc.) as we do.

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[Colin Bignell]

Jack Reacher Motor Mechanic seems to be a novel in the series that I missed :-)

A quick Google search shows that, while some States do have annual vehicle inspections, most do not. Even the ones that do seem to be less stringent than even the earliest MOTs.

[Andy Bennett]

Diesel Range Rover Evoque apparently.

[Tim+]

Seems they’re pretty well known for it.

Tim

[Spike]

Thanks for the link. It seems to raise as many questions as it answers. A diesel-engine’d car leaving such a car park will have everything cold, engine, exhaust, catalyser, etc, suggesting an electrical issue.

The flames appear to be external to the car structure, so it’s unlikely to be a faulty lithium battery inside the vehicle.

Exactly what combination of circumstances brought this about remains a mystery.

[The Natural Philosopher]

The car was a PHEV Discovery, with its running lights on. The fire is under the front passenger seat where the lithium battery is. It is not parked.

No one wants to admit it, but it is the case.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Many states have no tests at all . You can drive anything in any condition provided its insured

[The Natural Philosopher]

Diesel plug in *hybrid* Discovery actually...with its battery on fire.

[ajh]

That doesn't surprise me. modern LRs seem to have a higher incidence of fires than most

[The Natural Philosopher]

It is a plug in diesel hybrid Range Rover Discovery, with the lithium battery under the passenger front floor on fire. Its running lights are on, suggesting the car was abandoned whilst on its way oi or out of the park. I'd suggest selling shares in jaguar land rover and selling your electric car before the insurance premium becomes unpayable..

[Joe]

Many older hybrids are the Prius, which did not originally have a lithium battery.

I recall a problem with tyres factory fitted to US GM cars (about 40 years ago, so ICE) which presumably had insufficient carbon in them, as they did not discharge static from the car body, and caused a number of engine fires.

[Spike]

Well spotted.

[Cursitor Doom]

Actually, that's the precisely the 'finger print' of a lithium battery going up. Flames get shot out sideways which makes it very effective at spreading the fire to neighbouring vehicles.

They'll do their best to cover it up, but it looks increasingly like it was a lithium ignition. If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that EVs need to be confined to ground floors only in multi-story car parks, so:

The Firemen can access them more readily and,

Their increased weight won't be able to collapse onto lower floors in the event of a catastrophic fire.

[Colin Bignell]

Putting them on the ground floor would seem to be a good way to ensure that the entire car park is doomed when one does catch fire. No way out for other vehicles and the fire can affect support columns where they are carrying the greatest load.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not me. There was good thread on WUWT where people gradually pinned it down. Even the fire colour and lack of much smoke is consistent with a LIPO battery.

It is not good news for BEV enthusiasts. Or their insurance policies. Or Jaguar Land Rover. Or people investing in 'mega factories'.

It might be the Green's 'Chernobyl' moment where public enthusiasm vanishes overnight.

Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.

[The Natural Philosopher]

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that EVs need to be confined to open top floors only in multi-story car parks, so: The Firemen can access them more readily by spraying the roof and, Their increased flammability won't be able to collapse upper floors above them in the event of a catastrophic fire. Hint: heat rises.

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1. Better to give them their own effin expensive isolated park Best of all ban the f****ng things from public car parks

[Paul]

"The recall notice says an electrical overload in the 48-volt battery could cause the failure of a transistor, which in turn may lead to a short in the system.

The notice says: “Vehicle occupants may notice a burning smell and/or smoke from the DC/DC converter vent into the passenger compartment. If there is sufficient oxygen, a vehicle fire may occur, which may cause injury or death of vehicle occupants or other road users.”

Paul

[Joe]

I recall saying to someone, during one of the H&S fusses many years ago, that if anyone suggested today that an inflammable and potentially explosive gas containing carbon monoxide should be piped into most homes in the land to provide heat and light, they would be laughed at.

And yet, we're doing much the same now with lithium...

[Cursitor Doom]

Nope. The green juggernaut will remain on track. They've already lied by suggesting it was a diesel fire and they'll stick with that and if anyone suggests otherwise, they'll just turn up the volume of propaganda - to deafening levels if necessary. That's the way they work.