EV batteries are very safe. Yes there are incidents, but there's fewer as automakers learn to make safer packs.
We had a fire in a big parking garage here in Norway. Already many EVs here and not a single battery pack caught fire even though the car interiors burned. Our fire departments probably have the most experience with EVs anywhere in the world, and they consider them generally safe and not hard to deal with when trained for it.
Funny you should mention tunnels, it was recently found that millions could be saved on ventilation on a future tunnel project because there's such a high share of EVs now. There's a tunnel nearby that's very often closed because there's a steep grade and there's always some ICE truck that overheats and catches fire. With EVs that won't be an issue.
Meanwhile, a hydrogen station blew up just a few km from my house. Incredibly loud explosion. Yeah, I think hydrogen cars and stations can be made safe with engineering. Just like Li-ion. But it is fundamentally unsafe. It easily leaks through fittings if they aren't tightened with just the right torque. And when you get the right hydrogen/oxygen mixture it borderline self-ignites.
Many cars are moving to LiFePo as it's cheaper and good enough for most. It's much safer still. Solid state batteries will also be perfectly safe.
We had a fire in a big parking garage here in Norway. Already many EVs here and not a single battery pack caught fire even though the car interiors burned. Our fire departments probably have the most experience with EVs anywhere in the world, and they consider them generally safe and not hard to deal with when trained for it.
Funny you should mention tunnels, it was recently found that millions could be saved on ventilation on a future tunnel project because there's such a high share of EVs now. There's a tunnel nearby that's very often closed because there's a steep grade and there's always some ICE truck that overheats and catches fire. With EVs that won't be an issue.
Meanwhile, a hydrogen station blew up just a few km from my house. Incredibly loud explosion. Yeah, I think hydrogen cars and stations can be made safe with engineering. Just like Li-ion. But it is fundamentally unsafe. It easily leaks through fittings if they aren't tightened with just the right torque. And when you get the right hydrogen/oxygen mixture it borderline self-ignites.
Many cars are moving to LiFePo as it's cheaper and good enough for most. It's much safer still. Solid state batteries will also be perfectly safe.