Imagine for a moment this disturbing scenario. You live in Florida and have received many warnings about the approach of Hurricane Idalia. But your house is up a bit and the storm surge wasn’t as bad as some had predicted. You manage to get away with just some minor flooding at your place and once it starts up again you should be able to start cleaning up. But two days after the storm, you walk outside only to find your car going up in a massive fireball. Just what you needed, right? But what went wrong? How did this happen? Well, you decided to listen to Joe Biden and bought yourself one of those new electric vehicles. And it turns out that electric vehicles and salt water don’t get along. Indeed, this combination can cause EV batteries to burst into flames. (The channel of time).
Some electric vehicles in Florida are catching fire after coming into contact with salt water. Residual salt water particles left on flooded batteries and battery components can conduct electricity, resulting in short circuits and eventual fires. Safety officials are urging EV owners with flooded vehicles to take action now as fires can ignite weeks after flooding.
Published local media ABC News the following report which shows video footage of not one but two Teslas bursting into flames days after the flood ended. One of them is not even recognized.
There is a video on the Weather Channel linked page that is really worth watching. It offers some of the same warnings to electric vehicle owners. “Anyone who came into contact with salt water during Idalia should remove their vehicle from the garage immediately.”
Homeowners were advised to move their electric vehicles at least fifty feet from any structure. Here’s how to create a serious fireball. Authorities said the fires do not occur immediately, but usually flare up over several days or even two weeks later. Apparently, as saltwater dries, it can leave behind a trail of salt that can form a “bridge” between the terminals of EV batteries. And if that causes the electricity to go haywire, your battery is burning up and you’re off to the races.
When Tesla, Ford and everyone else were designing these vehicles, how did no one anticipate this? Did it never occur to them that sometimes cars get wet? And if people live near the ocean, did someone point out that they might be exposed to salt water, sometimes deep enough to reach the wheel wells? (Electric vehicle batteries are usually low near the bottom of the car.)
Apparently, that’s all it takes for an EV to become a potentially deadly fire hazard. Is that what happened to that cargo ship full of electric vehicles? it caught fire? I wonder if some of the salt water spray from the ocean got there and emptied into the battery compartment. Considering how much these cars cost, you’d expect them to be a bit more durable than this and less prone to turning into fireballs. But don’t worry. I’m sure the government will come up with a new round of subsidies through your generous tax payments to replace these cars.
And speaking of generosity, we greatly appreciate the generosity of those of you who have registered for one of our VIP programs and received extended access and bonus content. For anyone else who might be interested, but be sure to use promo code SAVEAMERICA when you sign up for some big savings. Thanks!
English 
Español de Venezuela