[daikon]

I saw ace hardware had an auto fire extinguisher on sale. I thought this may be a good thing for the car, and thinking this over, I could not help but wonder.

1) what could cause this car to ignite, burn , melt?

2) would this car and I guess sorbitol the engine and or battery simply melt or could they go up in flames?

3) Would a fire extinguisher be actually useful in an electric car?

Thank you!

 

[voxel]

Lithium battery fires are chemical fires. A dinky extinguisher won't do anything...

The only recommended method is to douse the battery with as much water as possible (cooling the cells to prevent more thermal runaways). I am personally uncertain that large amounts of water could slow/neutralize an EV battery fire but I've lost the argument enough times and it is what is currently recommended by various firefighter orgs/conferences. There are videos on how they put out EV battery fires.

 

[Huey52]

I carry a small Halon extinguisher. Pricey but far better for electrical fires, actually most any home fire.

But as voxel well cites Li-ion fires are very difficult to extinguish by their very chemical nature.

 

[daikon]

So an extinguisher is completely useless for this car unless I buy a 1k+ Halon extinguisher?

Also with a lithium in battery fire (I assume that is the only thing I would have to worry about in this car) would it start slow so I would have time to evacuate the family, or is it a very rapid process?

Thank you! You guys saved me $8.00!!

... that will promptly go into brushes, soap, and polish, once I decide what to get!

 

[Huey52]

I'm no fire migration expert but in my limited research it takes some time for the thermal overload. You and the family should have time to egress. But of course as with any type emergency situation don't dally.
I carry the halon more for other types of relatively minor fires as it won't of itself cause damage to electrical circuits/connectors as a chemical extinguisher would. And in this vehicle there's a bunch of circuitry!

So an extinguisher is completely useless for this car unless I buy a 1k+ Halon extinguisher?

Also with a lithium in battery fire (I assume that is the only thing I would have to worry about in this car) would it start slow so I would have time to evacuate the family, or is it a very rapid process?

Thank you! You guys saved me $8.00!!

... that will promptly go into brushes, soap, and polish, once I decide what to get!

 

[voxel]

Lithium batteries don't explode like a gas tank would. They thermal runaway due to short or puncture (highly unlike in EVs given how protected the cells) - often you should hear a pop and see lots of smoke. Technically you have time to escape the car.

Thermal runaway spread from cell to cell (not consuming the entire battery at once) and that's why you hear of 8-12 hour EV battery fires. It can be slow to burn the lithium electrolyte and cathode/anode material.

 

[daikon]

I'm no fire migration expert but in my limited research it takes some time for the thermal overload. You and the family should have time to egress. But of course as with any type emergency situation don't dally.
I carry the halon more for other types of relatively minor fires as it won't of itself cause damage to electrical circuits/connectors as a chemical extinguisher would. And in this vehicle there's a bunch of circuitry!

Makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

 

[Eric Nay]

I am sort-of familiar with the battery fires on the Chevy Bolt (which is why I sold mine back to GM). Thermal runaway is pretty slow, as in hours, not seconds. The latest Chevy software starts sounding the horn and blinking the lights in case of a battery fire, to alert people nearby. To date the best advice for firefighters is, as Voxel mentioned above, to douse them with lots and lots of water.

As to physical impact (crashes), there has been some great work on recent battery packs to build-in fuses into the pack itself, to disconnect in case of major impact. This should reduce crash-induced fires.

 

[doc]

I have a fire extinguisher in my id.4, but I don't expect it will ever come in handy putting out MY car if the batteries start to burn. I have seen OTHER cars on fire on the road. You never know when you'll be in the right place at the right time to potentially stop someone's car from becoming completely engulfed in flames.

 

[Spin]

My advice is this. If your vehicle catches on fire, run as far as you can from the vehicle, and when you are a safe distance away call 911. If you see another vehicle on fire, do the same. Every situation is different, but if someone in the vehicle is trapped or unconscious, your effort is usually best spent trying to remove them from the vehicle. Fighting a vehicle fire with a small extinguisher is often a losing cause and any attempt of rescue is putting your own life in danger.

 

[Spin]

Lithium batteries don't explode like a gas tank would.

There are pressure canisters in every vehicle that can blow and expel shrapnel when heated. Remove yourself from the area of any vehicle fire.

 

[Don]

The traction battery is housed in a water tight case - If the battery has a thermal runaway fire, you're not going to stop it no matter what you use - You can't even get water or an extinguisher to where the cells are located

Carrying any fire extinguisher, halon or dry chemical is about 50 times more likely to end up used on a fire in an ICE vehicle than in any EV. The big difference there is . . . . the car owner would thank you, thank you, THANK YOU if you sprayed a Halon extinguisher on his car to douse the fire because he wouldn't be left with any dry chemical mess, which is nearly impossible to clean up afterward

Don

 

[tsquared]

I have an extinguisher in mine, not necessarily to extinguish a battery fire completely but maybe for someone to buy me a little time if i'm trapped or vise versa. If folks are working to get someone out of an ICE vehicle I could use it to help them in the event a fire breaks out so I find it good to have around just in case! I also need to pick up a thick pry bar but keep forgetting! (maybe i'm slightly paranoid)

 

[Huey52]

I keep one of those break-glass pointed tools in my vehicle, immediately at hand. That's of course much quicker than trying to pry a door.
Your concerns for others have merit.

I have an extinguisher in mine, not necessarily to extinguish a battery fire completely but maybe for someone to buy me a little time if i'm trapped or vise versa. If folks are working to get someone out of an ICE vehicle I could use it to help them in the event a fire breaks out so I find it good to have around just in case! I also need to pick up a thick pry bar but keep forgetting! (maybe i'm slightly paranoid)

 

[tsquared]

I keep one of those break-glass pointed tools in my vehicle, immediately at hand. That's of course much quicker than trying to pry a door.
Your concerns for others have merit.

I also have one of those.. I think having been involved in a serious crash changes your perspective of things like that