Flooded EVs Starting Fires in Wake of Hurricane Ian

After Hurricane Ian left a trail of destruction, the state of Florida is left to pick up the pieces once again. However, this natural disaster seems to have at least one curveball in the mix that is going to make the cleanup a bit more complicated.

As it turns out, with the extensive flooding caused by the storm, there were a ton of vehicles that were simply totaled, unable to be driven after taking on high levels of water. If an electric vehicle met such a fate, there is a high probability that the vehicle might catch on fire. According to first responders, these flooded electric cars are causing fires that aren’t exactly easy to extinguish.

After the lithium-ion batteries mix with salt water and begin to corrode, apparently, the stored energy within these batteries is causing the issue. As the batteries are located underneath electric cars, this creates a tricky situation to put the fire out and if it’s not done thoroughly, the fire can spark back up once again, creating a dangerous set of circumstances that can be incredibly time-consuming and more dangerous for firefighters.

As far as what the long-term solution is, we aren’t exactly sure yet. In the interim, though, the recommendation is that if you believe that your electric vehicle has sustained water damage, it would probably be a good idea to keep it outside of the garage. Otherwise, the car might cause a fire hazard.

This is the first major natural disaster of this kind since the electric vehicle has had its mainstream push that has caused there to be so many of them on the roadways. Certainly, we would believe that the industry is going to try to find a solution to this problem. For now, though, EV owners should simply proceed with caution.