[HN Gopher] GM warns some Bolt EV owners: Don't park them inside...
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       GM warns some Bolt EV owners: Don't park them inside or charge them
       unattended
        
       Author : cebert
       Score  : 35 points
       Date   : 2021-07-14 21:53 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.cnbc.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.cnbc.com)
        
       | throwawayboise wrote:
       | Same reason I wouldn't even think about a Powerwall (or anything
       | like it, not picking on Tesla specifically) inside my house. If
       | it could be in an outdoor enclosure a safe distance away, maybe.
        
       | jordache wrote:
       | terrible look for GM. Who is going to be the guinea pig for the
       | next iteration of GM EV product?
       | 
       | Has any notable numbers of Teslas caught fire while charging?
        
         | javagram wrote:
         | 2019: https://www.thedrive.com/news/28420/parked-teslas-keep-
         | catch...
         | 
         | That said, they haven't had to do a recall so maybe it isn't as
         | bad (or maybe GM is just more aggressive about recalls)
        
           | lupire wrote:
           | Tesla addressed a fire risk with a software update for
           | thermal management.
           | 
           | Recall is only needed for hardware fixes or if there is no
           | 100% deployed software update network for the cars.
        
         | sliken wrote:
         | Yes, pretty sure anyways, things do happen. The rate of Tesla
         | fires is quite a bit less than gas powered cars though. Tesla
         | has failsafes to prevent fires, but nothing is perfect.
         | 
         | Doesn't seem that unusual, I wanted to replace the door between
         | my house and garage, turns out there's a specific building code
         | specification for that door, because apparently cars catch fire
         | in garages.
        
           | jeffbee wrote:
           | Always seemed weird to me that building codes require fire-
           | rated materials for attached garages, but there are not smoke
           | alarms designed to be installed there.
        
             | lupire wrote:
             | People aren't supposed to sleep in garages, so it's not
             | required.
             | 
             | What wouldn't a normal smoke alarm work in a garage?
        
               | casylum wrote:
               | Excessive dust can trigger false alarms. They make heat
               | detectors for spaces like garages and attics.
               | 
               | https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kidde-Firex-Hardwired-Inter-
               | Conn...
        
       | literallyaduck wrote:
       | Plug-ins are the new pinto.
        
       | throwaway0a5e wrote:
       | I know that a lot of people on HN have a lot of money tied up in
       | products made by a couple companies that start with T and end
       | with A and this being the internet many of them are chomping at
       | the bit to put down the big three but before you make fools of
       | yourselves running your mouths you might want to know that:
       | 
       | a) Only two vehicles have had issues.
       | 
       | b) It's unclear yet whether there's a design, manufacturing or
       | procedural fault or if there was human error when performing a
       | recall repair on these vehicles.
        
       | Someone1234 wrote:
       | I have to admit I under-estimated how problematic electric
       | vehicle fires would be based on my knowledge with smaller
       | lithium-ion devices like phones (that just pop and quickly fizzle
       | out). But after reading about fire fighting them, you realize how
       | big of a powder keg they are, in particular as they can
       | spontaneously re-ignite themselves and water has limited
       | effective (even if still the best we have).
       | 
       | Article on the topic:
       | 
       | https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/federal-regulators-wa...
       | 
       | Here's a firefighting training video (start at 3 minutes if it
       | does not):
       | 
       | https://youtu.be/8n5Wf7TlGrU?t=181
       | 
       | Although there are some innovative solutions coming on tap, like
       | this special modified shipping container that you put a still-on-
       | fire EV into and then drive it to another safer location:
       | 
       | https://cfpa-e.eu/container-puts-out-inextinguishable-fires-...
        
         | Something1234 wrote:
         | Don't firefighters carry some kind of foam by default? After
         | all there's a lot of grease fires(cars, kitchens) out there.
        
           | wil421 wrote:
           | Not usually in the US unless it's at an Airport. Although
           | larger metros may have specialists. A couple friends of mine
           | are firefighters in a very large city and they will help
           | other counties or cities out with special situations. It all
           | depends on what department has what specialists.
        
           | javagram wrote:
           | Foam is not as effective against electrical fires and the
           | manufacturers recommend using water, not foam, on a lithium-
           | ion electric car fire.
        
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       (page generated 2021-07-14 23:00 UTC)