Two killed in huge blaze after driverless Tesla crashes into tree https://nypost.com/2021/04/18/tesla-on-autopilot-crashes-into-tree-kills-two-people/ Crazy chit.
Stupid people will do stupid things given the opportunity. However, as we transition from ICE to EV, I don't know of any comprehensive discussions and solutions to effectively combat battery fires between manufacturing and governments, which includes fire departments and regulatory bodies. Seems to me pretty important as cars and battery backup generators for the home become common. I lived in Northern California during the various fires of the last 10 years where towns and large suburbs were burnt to the ground and can't help imagine how much worse it would have been if every 10th house had a battery storage explode...
The 20 gallons of gasoline in an ICE car contain the same energy as an EV. The biggest difference is that gasoline actually frequently does explode when exposed to heat. Let's not be silly here!
You may have heard how much more water it takes to put out an EV fire than an ICE fire? It's in the article. Now imagine a burning block where every 3rd house has a PowerWall and every other house has an EV... Fire departments will need to transition to alternative ways of putting these types of fires out, because many today complain of having to bring in several trucks to put one out from a car.
I hear what you are saying. Living here in South Florida I remember distinctly the ValueJet Everglades crash in the mid 90's that was due to incorrectly labeled and stowed chemical oxygen cannisters - though those were not battery powered. But then there was exploding/burning laptops and early smartphones. New tech does not come without it's own issues to deal with. I would be great if everything new was just ... "plug and play".
gas contains a hell of a lot more energy than that battery bank even for similar range as ICE are way more inefficient than e-motors, so you gotta carry extra to make up for all that lost energy. Gas doesn't typically care about impacts however (inb4 blowing pintos) and won't catch on fire unless a flame/heat/spark source is nearby. Li-ion batteries are fairly unstable when integrity is compromised and "run away"...they're also typically through the whole floor board too unlike a gas tank which may be isolated. One can also create a circuit short in a crash creating a runaway event
Gasoline does not "explode". Gasoline vapors ignite when exposed to an open flame, or spark. Never saw anyone carrying around a small gasoline container that spontaneously went up in flames, like lithium batteries seem to do.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong proponent of the big switch to electric. But there will be negative outcomes (anyone watched Monro test drive the new VW ID4? ) and government needs to prep for these and come up with regulations to ensure we're moving forward safely and efficiently. For example, if we dont regulate the quality of batteries, we will end up with far more blown cars and home generators than we want to. If history is any indication, today's novel high end products will tomorrow be supplemented with poorly made alternatives...