Salt water and EV's
 

I wonder how many Floridians thought to park their EVs outside of their garages when threatened by the hurricane. I understand that there were quite a few EV fires caused by the salt water from the coast floods. It would be bad enough to suffer flooding in the home, without the addition of a house fire due to volatile EV fire starting in the garage.

That's a tough one to know what to do. I don't have an EV nor do I have an oceanfront house. But, do you park in the driveway where you might not burn the house down, but you might increase the chances of salt water getting to the battery? Or do you park in the garage in the hopes that the car will be protected from salt water intrusion?

Maybe I could invent a bag, that you spread out on the garage floor. Drive the EV over the bag then pull up all of the sides & fasten at the top of the car. The bag might get wet, but properly designed will be impervious to salt water intrusion. I could make millions selling to waterfront or water adjacent property owners with EVs. :)

Where would salt water come from in The Villages? And yes, my Tesla is in the garage, plugged in.

Interested in a bag??? :a20:

So would your auto insurance cover replacing house damage cause that deductible would be far less than hurricane :a040:

Point taken, regarding salt water in the Villages. However, if I am not wrong, water of any kind will adversely effect lithium and make it volatile. I would hazard a guess that quality lithium batteries are sealed against moister. I have no idea what kind of EVs were related to the 30+ fires caused by the hurricane in Florida. The few golf carts I have seen that had lithium batteries, all seemed to have pretty good cases on them. They appeared to be water tight, but that was just a guess with my limited view. Not sure I would drive through a tunnel during a storm flood, though.

No doubt insurers will soon start pricing this risk into costal location policies when the policyholders own lithium powered forms of transportation. I feel for the first responders who have to deal with this very dangerous situation. The problem is not just electric cars and trucks. Fires have also been caused by lithium powered golf carts, e bikes, scooters, and wheel chairs.

Yes the batteries are sealed. Regardless, there would have to be 2-3 FEET of water in the garage before the batteries were submerged. How would that even happen in TV? Maybe on the coast in the aftermath of a brutal hurricane, but here?

Good question; not sure if that would fall under auto or HO. My guess is HO, and then the question would be if that would fall under hurricane or regular coverage. Extremely unlikely scenario, so not worth any concern IMO.

Sure. They should. A lot less likely to have hurricane damage in central FL than the coast, so rates should reflect that.

During an ice storm in Massachusetts a tree fell on my car. My auto policy paid for the car; my HO paid for everything else. Your policy could be different.

Sorry I forgot to post Sheldon sign.

I don't own an EV and most likely won't in my lifetime. But I have to say risk of fire is not the reason. This video is enlightening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_EOvqXdABA

Why speculate, here is what actually happened in Ashville: Ex-Tesla Owner Shares How Hurricane Helene Made Him a Rivian Convert - Business Insider

"Cusick and his friend noticed what looked almost like a "lump of mud" sitting underneath an overpass, anywhere from 50 to 150 feet away from where the Rivian was originally parked. Silt and mud from the Swannanoa River, Cusick said, had engulfed his truck."

"when Cusick walked up to the Rivian, the door handle, which sits flush into the door panel much like Tesla's, popped out. Inside, the vehicle was "completely dry," Cusick said.

He was able to get inside and start his truck."

"A Rivian spokesperson told Inside EVs, which earlier reported on Cusick's truck, that Rivian battery packs are sealed to provide floodwater protection."

After discovering his silt encrusted truck he went on to help relief efforts.

"Cusick came across a distribution center that was set up by Crisis Response International, a crisis-response nonprofit based in Virginia, and asked how he could help.

"They said they needed a generator," Cusick recalled. "And I was like: 'Hey, I got one. They're built into my car.'"

Cusick said his generator helped power a food truck that was providing hot meals to residents. He said it also helped power a chainsaw he would use to clear roads"

Car fires
 

On the average 150 gas powered cars burn every day in the us

I used to live in Norfolk, VA 700 feet from the ocean. A low lying street near us flooded during one hurricane and a picture of a car near an apartment building burning merrily away made the news. Not an electric vehicle, just a plain old lead-acid battery gas burner. So, if you don't think flooding salt water bridging the terminals of your regular battery can't start a fire, guess again.

Note that, even if you accidentally damage your garage door with your vehicle, your auto insurance will only cover the damage to your vehicle, not the garage door. Your homeowner's insurance may cover the garage door damage. So, in my opinion, auto insurance will not cover any damage to your house, but it will cover the vehicle.

Excellent reply. Not a correct solution available.

The solution is to don't buy an EV.

Let's be honest here this has less to do with fires in or out of the house and more to do with people who are ICE lovers.
The handwriting is on the wall EVs, or some other technology will eventually replace ICE mode of transportation.
At the moment it is EVs not because their cleaner for the environment which they are, but because it's a new market and there is money to be had.
All the major car companies are investing in charging stations and research into EVs.
You can't believe they do not see a big payday at the end of the tunnel.
I own an EV and find the joy of not having to go to gas station was worth the investment.

When lithium batteries were first introduced for laptop computers there was a rash of fires at conferences and other venues wher laptops left on tables were subjected to water spills. There were no hue and cry to ban laptops or their batteries. Replacement batteries were made waterproof.

That would be quite a sight...a flooded house on fire!

I can drive on one tank of gas in my ice to Knoxville in a little over 8 hours nonstop. How long will it take your ev?

You might still be able to find pictures from last year of the house in Shore Acres (St Petersburg) burning and the fire dept. unable to reach it due to the flooding.

A little over eight hours, non stop on one 'tank'.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Thanks never heard of salt water could cause a their EV to catch fire. I was more concerned about someone living from Miami to the Keys getting out of the hurricane zone & all the sitting in a line of cars. 300 miles on a charge wouldn’t get you out of Florida & no where to get a charge. Maybe I’m wrong about an EV but I’ll take my gasoline car anyway to get out of Florida, I get 500 miles to a tank of gas!

Who in the world would want to drive to Knoxville in a little over 8 hours nonstop? Seems like Depends would be a necessity!

Build in one quick stop to answer the call of nature and both ICE and EV would get there in the same amount of time.

Car bag already invented
 

There are a variety of car bags on the market. There is one out there that you have two people hold open and then you drive into it. Get out, of course, and seal it up. There were numerous fires caused by EV batteries. Google this and you will see lots of articles about it...."ev fires caused by hurricanes florida 2024". An EV golf cart in St. Catherine caught fire while charging earlier this year. Fire dept busted open garage door and dragged it out into driveway so it would not burn up house. Unfortunately the owner cars was in driveway and sustained damage.

I have never driven nonstop for 8 hours or even entertained the idea of driving nonstop for 8 hours. Yes, it takes longer to drive in an EV. Typical numbers seem to be on the order of 20 mins to recharge every 200 miles or about 3 hours. That would be a typical frequency of stopping regardless of what we were driving.

I've driven my Tesla through lots of bad FL and AZ rain storms, NY and PA snow storms and salted roads. Still hasn't exploded. I'm also proud it's the most American car designed in America built by Tesla stockholders in CA, NV and TX.

I'd be scared running out of gas in storms like we had, where you run out of options because the gas stations are out of gas or just closed. In the time it takes to wait in line at Walmart Gas, I can charge my car at least 10% at home. Before the storm hit, I was at 100%, ready to travel hundreds of miles.

Also, last I checked, when any car gets flooded, the water can damage its electrical systems, causing potential issues like engine failure, malfunctioning electronics, rust development, mold growth inside the interior. In severe cases, the car may even become a total loss due to the extent of the damage, particularly if submerged in deep water for a prolonged period.

Older generations are always slow to accept new technologies.

We love our Tesla. Best car ever. Made in USA. Best technology. Great quality. And if we want, we leave the garage with a “full tank” every morning. Great range. Super smooth. Super safe. Super comfortable. But all in all, our favorite feature is the one/pedal driving. We are NOT “crazy Green people”. Simply wanted to get a new car which we can enjoy the rest of our lives here. It’s perfect for us. Maybe not for you. But that’s what choice is all about.

Gas vs EV... What a novel new argument... Said no one ever...

I predict a thread lock in the near future and zero minds being changed...

EV
 

Our Tesla was high and dry in the garage. It was also filled up with electricity before the storm and didn’t have to go searching for fuel or wait in line.

So, the question regarding the parking of an EV outside or inside a garage during a possible flooding, turned into "ICE vehicles burn too" and "but if the power goes off, how do you escape the hurricane" or something like that.
I haven't heard of ICE vehicles catching fire in water, so that's new to me. I did hear on one of the news channels of about 30 EVs catching fire in Florida due to salt water exposure. I thought it made for an interesting question as to whether folks would park them inside or outside if they knew there was a possibility of a storm surge. I have a lithium powered golf cart, but I wasn't worried because I don't live near the coast. If I did, I would have to think about it.

How would you like to own one and drive it to evacuate the storm?
😅😅

But what if you had to evacuate? How many miles can you get on a Full Charge?

I don't have to evacuate so why is that a consideration?

But you can get on the order of 300 miles on a full charge. If you get only half that because you are stuck in traffic you can still get out of Florida.

If you're going to play "what if" then what if you needed to drive through 18" of water or through sand-covered streets? Do you have a Hummer in your garage just in case?

Don't buy any used car that has been in a flood.

Hmmmpf, never realized a gas station trip was so joy depleting.