Electric Vehicles Can Explode Says Jeremy Clarkson

[naomi24]

His article here is quite alarming.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23240656/jeremy-clarkson-electric-vehicles-exploding-dangerous-petrol/

Is the relentless march to rid us of what we have in favour of electric vehicles a mistake?

[Stableford]

Not sure about exploding, but they do have a tendency to catch fire, and they aren't that easy to put out.

[Tilly2]

I've had mine for three years and it hasn't caught fire. Have I been lucky?

[Gromit]

As I postered on the other thread there are 20,000 car fires a year. Over the past 5 years there have been 507 electric car are fires. Roughly 100 a year, compared to 19800 I C E fires.

[Stableford]

Possibly! All I know is from working in the Health and Safety industry is that the Emergency Services are woefully under-trained in responding to EV fires, and many fire and rescue services don't have the capability to quickly and safely extinguish EV fires as yet. As ever, the technology has raced ahead of the infrastructure and many are now playing a dangerous game of catch-up.

[Stableford]

That's interesting, Gromit. Any idea what the current percentage of ICE to Electric ratio is in the UK; otherwise the comparison of figures is somewhat meaningless.

[Togo]

//otherwise the comparison of figures is somewhat meaningless.//

As ever with that particular poster it was meant to be. Were the ICE figures quoted meant to indicate 5 years or 1. Note they were only referenced alongside the EV year total.

[Togo]

I calculate that there were, in June 2022, 365,000 fully electric vehicles and about 400,000 hybrid electric. There were 32 million ice vehicles. Now we are told that there were 20,000 car fires in a 5 year period 500 of which being electric call it 100 a year although in 2022 there were more EVs than there were in 1997. That makes 100 out of 365,000. 1 in 365. for fires in EVs. ICE vehicles were responsible for 19,800 fires in 32,000,000 vehicles. 1 in 1,161. EVs therefor almost 4 times more likely to be in a fire than an ICE vehicle.

[ToraToraTora]

21:22 that's very interesting togs.

[Gromit]

Er yep. There are far more I C E cars on the roads.
The stat I found there have been 507 electric car fires in the last 5 years. There are about 1 million electric/hybrid cars on UK roads. So 100 fires a year is negligible. But the OP highlights it.

[Togo]

Gromit the fires in ICE vehicles are even more "negligible" but are used with no contextual element to hide the increased chance of an EV fire ... by some. We haven't even touched upon the damage being done to our already disgracefully maintained roads by EVs. The weight of the vehicles coupled with the much vaunted torque generated by them is destroying our already endangered means of travel(the roads). No figures are quoted regarding the increased tyre wear either. A chap who lives in our "neighbourhood has just had to have his drive repaired after the 2 EVs parked on it collapsed his drains. The builder said that the combined weight was equivalent to parking an HGV on it. Tarmac gone and had reinforced concrete and the drains re-laid.

[Old_Geezer]

There are more ICE vehicles on the road than battery ones, so figures can be expected to be higher. But nothing goes up like a battery car that has it's batteries run away. Any accident damage has to be taken seriously, unlike damage to ICE vehicles.

[Togo]

Ahh the thread is open again. I was wrong. The figures supplied for fires were somewhat "confusing". After a quick re-calculation it looks like you are not 4 times more likely to suffer a vehicle fire in an EV but 22 times more likely. I used 1 years figures for EVs and 5 year figures for ICE vehicles.

[Zacs-Master]

Can you provide a source for those figures, Togo? My stat for 650 car fires in the Devon area alone, per year, comes from the Devon Fire & Rescue service.

[Ryzen]

How long before the mayor of London introduces a 'No battery zone'

[Togo]

Meanwhile in the real World
"Rishi Sunak has confirmed hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted in the UK in a stark dividing line with Sir Keir Starmer.

The prime minister said he is backing the North Sea oil and gas industry to “make Britain more energy independent”.

Now he needs to address the Jso whack jobs.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rishi-sunak-net-zero-2050-b2384753.html

[Togo]

Used Gromits figures don't you trust them?

[Ryzen]

Good old Rishi...I might keep the Wraith for a bit longer.

[Zacs-Master]

Ok, thanks Togo. I think we need to be careful whether we’re talking about electric car fires or total electric vehicle fires versus car fires. Your calcs appear to use electric vehicle fires (total) against ICE ‘cars’ rather than ICE total vehicles. Maybe you could recalculate on a level playing field; ICE vehicles (total) vs EVs (total)?

[Togo]

//I think we need to be careful whether we’re talking about electric car fires or total electric vehicle fires versus car fires.//

Yes Zacs we do. Firstly ... 5 years ago the number of EVs was miniscule as a % comparison. The increase in numbers since skews any attempt at producing data unless it is based on the numbers over the last year and updated as the % difference decreases. The ONS is not doing this and I cannon find an organisation that is. This stimulates my suspicion sensor. :))
If we took the comparison back say 10 years it would be even more nonsense.

[Zacs-Master]

The fact of the matter is, EV sales will continue to rise and therefore any inherent problems likewise. I still maintain ICE fires are still more prevalent *in cars*.
Some more ‘data’ here:
https://cesafety.co.uk/news/data-reveals-extent-of-electric-vehicle-fires-around-the-uk/