How did Richard Hammond set fire to an electric supercar?

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kingdragonfly

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#215083 11-Jun-2017 20:08

Richard Hammond has nearly killed himself again, this time in the Rimac Concept One, an electric car.

I'm rethinking the idea that electric cars don't usually catch fire in crashes unless there's a short circuit.

Of course, it's not a crash but there is that dendrite problem with lithium batteries, e.g. the Samsung Note 7.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimac_Concept_One

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/heres-the-moment-richard-hammond-lost-control-of-a-rimac-concept-one/

Photo by Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47154753

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#1798198 11-Jun-2017 21:29

One problem with electric cars is that they carry large explosive devices in the form of their batteries.

Any damage to their batteries can lead to very spectacular explosions.

Telsa found this out and decided to redesign their battery packs to limit this normally explosive trait.

When you purchase an EV make sure the car maker has tested what happens when the batteries get damaged.

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#1798200 11-Jun-2017 21:30

I'd say it's the Li ion batteries.

He got out just in time.

Imagine if you had 2 -3 kids strapped in securely in their car seats ... I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

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#1798220 11-Jun-2017 23:04

The impact of the crash likely cause either a battery pack puncture or internal damage such that there was either a short circuit or arcing. The cells themselves are flammable, so this can start a fire.

Tesla has had some car fires, you can read about below.

https://www.tesla.com/en_NZ/blog/model-s-fire?redirect=no

The general summary is that yes, the battery packs burn, but they are designed to vent the fire away from the passenger compartment to allow time for passengers to escape.

jjnz1: One problem with electric cars is that they carry large explosive devices in the form of their batteries.

joker97:

I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

Generally electric vehicle batteries are designed to burn, venting the flames away from the passenger compartment, rather than to explode.

Compare to a petrol car where damage to the fuel tank or lines will cause a pool of petrol under the vehicle, which can cause a large flammable vapour cloud, resulting in a much more rapid fire ball.

In my opinion the risks of either occurrence is very low in street use, but I think the wearing of a fire retardant suit is standard practise in motor racing as was happening here.

gzt

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#1798242 12-Jun-2017 06:20

I see this one uses LiFePO4.

frankv

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#1798248 12-Jun-2017 07:17

joker97:

I'd say it's the Li ion batteries.

He got out just in time.

Imagine if you had 2 -3 kids strapped in securely in their car seats ... I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

Yup. Petrol doesn't burn. Much safer.

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#1798249 12-Jun-2017 07:41

frankv:

joker97:

I'd say it's the Li ion batteries.

He got out just in time.

Imagine if you had 2 -3 kids strapped in securely in their car seats ... I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

Yup. Petrol doesn't burn. Much safer.

It does burn if you get a vapor (From a pool of petrol on the ground) and an ignition source. Will be a few things arcing out after a crash on an older vehicle if the main fuse didnt blow or could have a permanent feed running down the body that can ignite it. Scalding hot exhausts also seem to light stuff up.

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#1798304 12-Jun-2017 09:03

I googled for Leaf fires. There are next to none.

Supercars usually compromise safety for performance and I don't expect any different from the rimac car.

Different battery, different battery chemistry also, and then battery housing and impact protection differences are likely to be just as significant.

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#1798316 12-Jun-2017 09:20

I suspect the news media will be hyping this to how dangerous electric cars are. The car didn't just catch it was the crash that did it. Happens lots with gasoline cars as well but it doesn't get hyped the same way.. .

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#1798340 12-Jun-2017 10:06

joker97:

I'd say it's the Li ion batteries.

He got out just in time.

Imagine if you had 2 -3 kids strapped in securely in their car seats ... I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

I'll let you be the one to put 2-3 kids in a supercar :)

Petrol or electric they are all designed to go a fast as Cr@p so they strip out as much as possible,

Petrol supercar fires are a "common" occurrence

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=supercar+fire

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#1798344 12-Jun-2017 10:11

Using this incident to judge the flammability of EV's is fundamentally flawed.

Supercars are made from a highly combustible material - carbon fibre. Petrol Lambo's etc burn to the ground very quickly as well.

EV familys car are made of metal (exactly the same as petrol family cars), so fire doesn't spread so quickly, giving you much more time to get the kids out of the back.

Think about how burning petrol spreads out on the pavement, vs a burning battery. I think fire would spread slower from vehicle to vehicle in EV's.

Edit: spelling.

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#1798365 12-Jun-2017 11:12

He's fine by the way.

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#1798368 12-Jun-2017 11:13

joker97:
I'd say it's the Li ion batteries.

He got out just in time.

Imagine if you had 2 -3 kids strapped in securely in their car seats ... I'd say petrol is safer in a crash ...

Yeah definitely.
Workout that way for the two German tourists who hit the bus.

Witnesses used fire extinguisher until ran out and watched the burn alive as they were trapped in the wreck...

networkn

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#1798390 12-Jun-2017 11:53

You know, this is going to be the source of a world wide ban on taking the Rimac Concept One and you won't be allowed to take them on aeroplanes and there will be threads about it that go on for months.

I wonder if they will just adjust it so you can't put them in check on luggage but you can still carry them on!

jjnz1

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#1798432 12-Jun-2017 13:02

networkn:

You know, this is going to be the source of a world wide ban on taking the Rimac Concept One and you won't be allowed to take them on aeroplanes and there will be threads about it that go on for months.

I wonder if they will just adjust it so you can't put them in check on luggage but you can still carry them on!

I was still allowed to take my Rimac on the plane morning.. Do you reckon they will do a recall?

BlueShift

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#1798458 12-Jun-2017 13:24

jjnz1:

networkn:

You know, this is going to be the source of a world wide ban on taking the Rimac Concept One and you won't be allowed to take them on aeroplanes and there will be threads about it that go on for months.

I wonder if they will just adjust it so you can't put them in check on luggage but you can still carry them on!

I was still allowed to take my Rimac on the plane morning.. Do you reckon they will do a recall?

They won't force you to hand them back in, but the power companies will prevent them from working on their networks.

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