Environment How Milton raises risks of EV battery fires — and what to do about it Saltwater is corrosive and leaving electric vehicles submerged in it could lead to the large lithium-ion batteries short circuiting and catching fire.       A Tesla that exploded when it took on salt water from Hurricane Helene sits in a parking lot in the Pass-A-Grille community of St. Pete Beach, Fla., on Sept. 28. (Ted Richardson for The Washington Post) By Allyson Chiu   As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida’s populous west coast, local officials have been issuing urgent warnings to people with electric vehicles: move your cars to higher ground. When the powerful Milton makes landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday, it’s expected to generate devastating storm surge that could inundate coastal communities with up to 15 feet of saltwater in some areas. Saltwater is corrosive and leaving electric vehicles submerged in it could lead to the large lithium-ion batteries short circuiting and catching fire.     “Anything with those lithium-ion batteries needs to be moved out of the surge zones where it could be exposed to saltwater,” Cathie Perkins, Pinellas County’s emergency management director, said during a Wednesday morning briefing. Lithium-ion batteries are also used to power golf carts, electric bicycles and scooters.     “We’ve seen it: they’ve exploded, they’ve caused fires,” Perkins said. “If it’s inside of your home or underneath a condo, we do not need to have building fires in the middle of this because nobody’s going to be able to come out and help you.”         Florida’s state Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis issued a similar warning on Monday, confirming there were 48 lithium-ion battery fires related to storm surge from Hurricane Helene, which battered the region about two weeks ago. Eleven of those fires were associated with EVs, Patronis said in a statement.   The potential risk of battery fires from EVs that have been exposed to saltwater should be taken seriously, said Albert Gore, executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, or ZETA, an industry group that promotes EVs. ZETA has released an online guide to help EV owners prepare ahead of a hurricane.     “These storms bring risks that are outside our everyday risks that we understand,” Gore said. “When you add on a new technology that hasn’t had the knowledge passed down from generation to generation the way gas cars have, we need to get accurate information out to EV owners about what the risks are, what they aren’t and what to do.” How can an EV battery catch fire? While Gore said EV batteries are rigorously tested to assess how resistant they are against water and dust getting inside, leaving the technology submerged in saltwater can pose problems. Saltwater can corrode and damage your EV’s battery pack, particularly if the vehicle has been underwater for an extended period of time, which could range from a few hours to a couple of days, according to ZETA.   The compromised battery could short circuit, which might result permanent damage to the system and, in some cases, fire.   Saltwater can similarly eat away at a gas-powered car, which also contains a battery. But Gore said the fire risk is different as these batteries typically have lower voltage than those found in EVs.   How can you reduce the risk of storm-related battery fires? Moving your car out of an area that might become flooded with saltwater is a simple first step that all EV owners should add to their hurricane preparation plans. While freshwater flooding could also damage vehicles, it’s unlikely to cause a similar fire risk, according to ZETA. Freshwater doesn’t have the same corrosive effect as saltwater, which can degrade an EV battery’s casing. Saltwater is also a much more effective conductor of electricity.   Wherever you move your vehicle, ZETA recommends making sure it’s at least 50 feet away from buildings or other combustible materials.   Avoid leaving your car plugged in during a storm. In St. Petersburg, Fla., officials also advised EV owners to drain their batteries to have less than 30 percent charge. “The risk is correlated to the amount of energy that is in the battery,” Gore said. A fully charged battery has a higher risk of catching fire if damaged by saltwater immersion compared to one that is depleted, he said. What if my EV is flooded? If your car ends up submerged, it’s critical to get it checked out by a professional before driving it after the floodwaters have receded. Even if the vehicle seems fine, there is a still a risk that the battery was damaged, Gore said.   ZETA also suggests treating your vehicle as if it’s been in an accident and promptly contacting your insurance provider. In Monday’s statement, Patronis called compromised EVs “ticking time bombs.” “After the storm, if you do have an EV that has been flooded by saltwater and it remains in your garage or near your home, please remove it immediately to a safe location so that you can worry about fixing your home, instead of rebuilding it due to fire,” he said.

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I remember when the lottery was voted in, all the money was supposed to go to Schools, the DNR was in a dire financial state at the time and it was diverted to bail them out, but without a stop put in place to turn it back to schools, they've taken the money ever since.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/11/38-year-gm-employee-gets-laid-off-by-5-am-email/