BEV battery fires.

[ebill3]

It would be an interesting test to short circuit one module of the LEAF battery and see what happens. (Do not try this at home. Just sayin')

I remember seeing rods driven through leaf modules as a puncture / short test and nothing happened. no fire, no smoke and no arching. I cant find the video now.

I have seen lithium polymer cells used in electric model aircraft punctured with no venting or fire. I have also seen the same cells burst into flame when shorted.

 

[edatoakrun]

Lots of activity on this topic on the Tesla forum, as you would expect with the third S fire yesterday.

Some discussion there of the LEAFs record of no battery fires reported (yet) but no answers to my OP question, which I'm reposting below.

There does seem to be a concensus that the Tesla S's battery pack coolant itself is flammable:

...the battery coolant is the typical glycol-based coolant you find in cars--which is flammable.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/23581-Ugh-Another-Model-S-fire-2013-11-06/page25" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is obvious every BEV occupant will be far safer from fire than any liquid-fueled ICEV/PHEV, under the vast majority of circumstances.

I'm just wondering how to answer the inevitable "battery fire" hazard question, RE the LEAF.

As to the LEAF (AFAIK) there have been no battery fires due to either collisions or from other sources of ignition.

...Several plug-in electric vehicle fire incidents have taken place since the introduction of mass-production plug-in electric vehicles in 2010. Most of them have been thermal runaway incidents related to the lithium-ion batteries and have involved the Zotye M300 EV, Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, BYD e6, Dodge Ram 1500 Plug-in Hybrid, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Outlander P-HEV, and Tesla Model S. As of October 2013, two fires after a crash have been reported associated with the batteries of plug-in electric cars. The first modern crash related fire was reported in China in May 2012, after a high-speed car crashed into a BYD e6 taxi in Shenzhen.[155] The second reported incident occurred in the United States in October 2013, when a Tesla Model S caught fire after the electric car hit metal debris on a highway in Kent, Washington state, which punctured one of 16 modules within the battery pack.[156][157...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_electric_vehicle#Risks_of_battery_fire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is the LEAF battery pack design so resistant to thermal runaway that battery fires are near-impossible, or just very unlikely?

As to the Tesla S battery fire, has there been a definitive report of whether the fire was a result of direct damage to the battery cells (puncture or deformation?) and an internal short, or from damage to the ATM cooling system, from the road debris?

Musk's statement is more vague than the wikipedia entry above:

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-fire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Those following the ~95 pages here, may know the answer.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/22173-Model-S-Accident-Fire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[gbarry42]

This is the Internet. Simply post a statement declaring that no LEAF has ever caught fire, nor can it. Someone will be along shortly to dispute you

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

There was a picture posted some time back of a Leaf the burned. Sorry I don't have the link, nor do I know the story behind it, but I'm quite sure I didn't dream it.

 

[edatoakrun]

There was a picture posted some time back of a Leaf the burned. Sorry I don't have the link, nor do I know the story behind it, but I'm quite sure I didn't dream it.

Only burnt LEAF I've seen:

...this Nissan LEAF ...is strictly associated burn damage from a fire in Colorado. If there is any takeaway from this fire, it is that the battery pack did NOT catch fire, and remarkably remains structurally intact, tucked beneath the car...

http://insideevs.com/a-seriously-burned-out-nissan-leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

There was a picture posted some time back of a Leaf the burned. Sorry I don't have the link, nor do I know the story behind it, but I'm quite sure I didn't dream it.

Maybe this?

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-survives-massive-fire-48268.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: same incident as preceding post.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

That was probably the picture I remembered, although seems a little different than I recalled. Old age is hell.

We all love to be critical of Nissan but you have to admit after three years and how many tens of thousands of cars if one fire is all you can dig up you have to give them some credit.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

That was probably the picture I remembered, although seems a little different than I recalled. Old age is hell.

We all love to be critical of Nissan but you have to admit after three years and how many tens of thousands of cars if one fire is all you can dig up you have to give them some credit.

One fire not caused by the battery but by the forest. And even more amazing, the battery didn't burn even though the rest of the car did. Why not?

 

[Nubo]

That was probably the picture I remembered, although seems a little different than I recalled. Old age is hell.

We all love to be critical of Nissan but you have to admit after three years and how many tens of thousands of cars if one fire is all you can dig up you have to give them some credit.

One fire not caused by the battery but by the forest. And even more amazing, the battery didn't burn even though the rest of the car did. Why not?

Thermal mass.

 

[nosuchthing]

It was on empty... :mrgreen:

 

[palmermd]

Tennessee owners comments on the fire.

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-owner-tennessee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DanCar]

Tennessee owners comments on the fire.
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-owner-tennessee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very interesting, thanks for posting.