Teslas are bursting into flames in Florida after being flooded during Hurricane Idalia | Saltwater and lithium-ion batteries are a bad combination::undefined

  • Leo@lemmy.linuxuserspace.show
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    10 months ago

    I’m all for bashing Tesla. It’s good fun. But this applies to all EVs and lithium ion batteries that came into contact with salt water.

    Bad TechSpot! Bad!

    I wonder if a laptop would blow up, too. Probably, right?

  • djmarcone@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    Side note - people need to be super careful buying used cars for the next several months because of scammers cleaning up flooded cars and brining them north to sell. Check under the carpets and so on, etc. Avoid Florida cars.

      • djmarcone@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        right, the scam is taking a flood car north and not disclosing flood damage to an unsuspecting northerner.

        It seems like it always happens every time there’s a bad flood/hurricane etc.

        • CADmonkey@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          I remember used lots in Oklahoma getting flooded (heh) with Katrina cars back in 2005-2006.

  • Schwim Dandy@reddthat.com
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    10 months ago

    Wouldn’t this be applicable to any EV and not just a particular brand that it’s popular to throw into titles for maximum views right now?

    • Ocelot@lemmies.world
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      10 months ago

      Tesla doesn’t advertise so any clickbait involving them is fair game.

      You know who does adverise? Other competing manufacturers and boy do they have a hard-on for advertising on news sites and broadcasts. Coincidence?

    • Tibert@compuverse.uk
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      10 months ago

      Maybe all brands, but can’t be sure.

      Tesla is “known” or at lest publicised in multiple places that they have pretty bad quality control, and I guess also bad design on some parts.

      So bad protection on the battery at tesla design? Maybe? Is there a “review” on car internals somewhere? I have no idea.

      Could another vehicle survive the same thing? Who knows, maybe? Maybe not?

      • persolb@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        I looked at this awhile ago. There is a google doc maintained by some anti-Tesla investors who track every fire that can find. It is still much lower than the US average fires per car.

        I think it gets more attention because:

        1. some people are financially incentivized and;
        2. battery fires really are a much worse deal than a normal car fire

        The advice I’ve been given (on train/bus batteries) is to shove the vehicle if safe when it starts; then do whatever possible to fully submerge in fresh water. Obviously that isn’t really feasible.

      • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        You asked a lot of questions that you didn’t know the answer to. A good journalist would have attempted to answer most of those questions in the article. Seeing how these questions weren’t answered, it’s safe to say this was a clickbait article written by a trash journalist.

  • rmuk@feddit.uk
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    10 months ago

    Didn’t The Dipshit say that Teslas can be used as boats at one point?

    • IEatAsbestos@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      Only the cybertruck I think, but in the end neither will be able to so it doesnt matter. I work with tesla and will never even consider buying one, even apart from all the stuff muskrat is doing.

      • Accuaro@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I figured people would have stopped considering one when it came out that Tesla employees made memes out of Tesla drivers as apparently they’ve been spying on people via the cameras on the car. Which isn’t enough that they did that, but they were encouraged to share the memes around the office.

        Idk man, and the fact people suggest tweeting (or x-ing) Elon if you run into difficulties with the Tesla stores (such as warranty). I find it insane. That’s if you separate Elon from the brand Tesla, but if you don’t it’s all the more. He is a highly vindictive, self-centred ego fuelled bag of lies which is a personal reason I don’t like Tesla.

        • IEatAsbestos@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          I dont know, but i would probably say yes. I only started working with them ~3 years ago. My big issue with them is that they seem to have no idea what they want or what theyre doing. Constantly changing plans, requirements, shipment dates, shipment locations, color specs, etc. All of their engineers ive talked to are super young, they must be new hires. But such overarching disorganization must come from the top.

  • sdoorex
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    10 months ago

    At least two Teslas caught fire

    Wow, what a huge issue!

  • HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    Couldn’t have spent the extra ten dollars potting the battery casing with conformal resin Elon?

    • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      They are likely IP rated in some form or fashion, that means they are rated for protection for a period of time at a certain depth. Deeper water or longer time in water means you still get water past the seals.

      It could also be a control fault or short on the electrical side allowing the other components to catch fire or overloading the batteries causing them to overheat and catch fire.

      • Player2@sopuli.xyz
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        10 months ago

        Also, IP rating is not valid for salt water or any other fluids such as alcohol, only fresh water

    • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I doubt their designs are hurricane + flood proofed.

      Also the high voltage disconnect/fuse is under the seats. Flood that and you’ve got a problem.

      • Hiccup@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 months ago

        I truly doubt anybody at Tesla thinks that far ahead. A prime example of this was that magnificent cyber truck showcase.

    • Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
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      10 months ago

      If manufactured properly, they should be.

      Water ingress can happen where cables plug into places - literally like a straw that draws water towards the battery pack. Again, if properly sealed, this should not be an issue.

      But I can’t imagine any modern vehicle surviving being flooded by saltwater. If not the battery then any other electrical component, or even the motor, would corrode over the coming days, weeks, months.

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Seems like the NHTSA needs to expedite regulations around protecting batteries from salt water.

    • Ocelot@lemmies.world
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      10 months ago

      I’d be surprised if there weren’t some kind of guidelines already but once we see EVs on the road 25-30 years old held together with duct tape things might get interesting.

  • Mudface@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Does this have anything to worry consumers about in cold climates where cars could accumulate snow and road salt on them, and then say - park the car in the garage where it all melts into salt water?

    Did any other makes of electric vehicles also burst into flames in Florida?

    • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      You’re not going to have frozen salt water on the underside of a car. That’s kind of what the salt is for. You will get salt water eating at the metal.

      • Ocelot@lemmies.world
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        10 months ago

        Ever seen a 30 year old car from where it snows a lot? They have rust holes that eat clean through the floor. We don’t have EVs that old yet but I seriously wonder how big of a problem that might be, as the salt will eat through the battery tray at a certain point. Especially for some of the budget EVs like the Bolt.