Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor95
If a gasoline car catches on fire, the fire will be contained in the engine bay or outside where fuel has spilled, and where the gas tank is located. Though gas burns hot and fast, I think my chances for survival are much better in that situation than the fire coming from directly underneath of me.
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You would think that, except the opposite may be true: when gasoline vehicles catch on fire, it happens more rapidly and unexpectedly than in an EV battery (
"The biggest difference is the time it takes to ignite. Gasoline fires start almost immediately when gasoline comes in contact with a spark or flame, and spreads rapidly. Battery fires typically take some time to achieve the heat necessary to start the fire").
Here are some numbers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are approximately 175,000 ICE vehicle fires each year in the US. With 263 million vehicles on the road, that means on average 1:1,502 ICE vehicles catches fire each year. Since 2012, there have been 40 Tesla fires total, out of approximately 300,000 vehicles sold--that works out to an average 1:50,000 fires per year. This looks to me like a case of "familiarity breeds complacency."
What you should really be afraid of is your oven: more than 150,000 of those catch on fire every year in the US.