Tesla batteries burning in LA wildfire present an irony about Sustainability

California sells more electric cars than any other state, many of which were destroyed in the recent Los Angeles wildfires in Southern California. Although the lithium-ion batteries found in electric cars don’t often catch fire, they start fires that are very hot and require a lot of water to put out. When fires go out, they will leave behind a lot of toxic waste to clean up. It’s a new headache and presents an irony about electric cars – things that are supposed to help the environment are being burned by wildfires started by global warming, and the batteries are doing more damage to the environment.

“Report” informs that S&P Global released information about this BloombergBy October 2024, more than 431,000 Teslas were in operation in the Los Angeles area. This does not include cars of other brands.

EVs can lead to vehicle fires tens of thousands of gallons of water to extinguish, because the lithium-ion inside the batteries can generate oxygen when they burn, meaning more water is needed to cool the burning pack. Tesla publishes guidelines for fire departments that teach them how to put out fires from their cars. General Motors had previously provided four hours of training for first responders on how to stop stubborn fires that won’t go out.

Electric vehicles come with a number of unique drawbacks to consider – they are often very heavy, causing problems for road infrastructure, for example, and charging too many EVs can strain electricity utilities. These are some of the reasons why some urban dwellers oppose EVs outright, arguing that people living in cities should use public transit if they want to support a green future. They come with contradictions.

Bloomberg He spoke with a firefighter about how previous fires in Maui gave them a game plan for cleaning batteries in Southern California:

San Diego firefighter Robert Rezende, an expert on lithium-battery hazards who will help with cleanup efforts, said protocols developed during the 2023 Maui fires will be used in Los Angeles. However, the scale and dangers of this event are greater.

“The state has seen other fires, but nothing in this city, more neighborhoods and structures where you’d expect to see electric cars and other energy storage systems,” Rezende said. “We expect a pretty big uptick.”

On Maui, the Environmental Protection Agency sent more than 30 tons of lithium batteries from more than 1,400 facilities for recycling.

There are electric car fires very rareThe National Transportation Safety Board finds about 25 fires for every 100,000 electric vehicles sold.

Electric motors don’t generate much heat, so fires most often occur in serious accidents when the battery explodes and the sensitive chemicals and cells inside become unstable, releasing heat and then creating a self-sustaining circuit to heat up uncontrollably. Of course, high heat from an external source, such as a fire, can also cause the battery to heat up.

Unfortunately, since electric vehicles have large batteries, a lot of toxic waste will already be produced and recycled. If rainfall is not cleared in time, it can cause toxic pollutants to reach the ocean.

Certainly, countless studies show that electric vehicles will have life-cycle emissions 70% lower than gasoline or dieseleven accounting for mineral extraction or filling. Unless you’re leaning toward the more extreme end of the spectrum and considering eliminating cars entirely, EVs will still be better than alternative gas options.