Cybertruck catches fire in Texas after crashing into fire hydrant (video)

[REM]

Before you mention the oxidizer statement a fourth time I’ll just provide a link and short quote from the Hazmat Compliance Center.

https://www.thecompliancecenter.com/lithium-battery-catches-fire/

“For best results dousing a lithium-ion fire, use a foam extinguisher, CO2, ABC dry chemical,”

All U.S. Navy personnel and every carrier deployed Marine goes through extensive fire fighting training. Once you understand the extreme dangers of a white phosphorous fire, battery fires (though still serious) are considerably more simple.

Here's the bottom line: when you have thermal runaway on a battery pack the size of the ones that they are putting in EVs your choices are A) let the pack burn out B) let the pack burn out or c) let the pack burn out.

There is no way to stop it. You can mitigate other ignitions by dousing the area with water and help cool the pack down so ALL of the cells don't ignite, but as Crissa has explained, you aren't going to stop the chemical reaction in a runaway cell as it has its own fuel and oxidizer.

As for onboard a Navy vessel, the procedure would include jettison. So the point is pretty moot on that lol

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[FitNess]

Here's the bottom line: when you have thermal runaway on a battery pack the size of the ones that they are putting in EVs your choices are A) let the pack burn out B) let the pack burn out or c) let the pack burn out.

There is no way to stop it. You can mitigate other ignitions by dousing the area with water and help cool the pack down so ALL of the cells don't ignite, but as Crissa has explained, you aren't going to stop the chemical reaction in a runaway cell as it has its own fuel and oxidizer.

As for onboard a Navy vessel, the procedure would include jettison. So the point is pretty moot on that lol

100% my friend, you totally don’t want to fight this fire. You can’t carry near enough agent. As a wise person stated earlier, get away from it!

 

[Crissa]

You can’t carry near enough agent. As a wise person stated earlier, get away from it!

This is why there are fire plugs.

Once you're away from the vehicle, you have options.

As for onboard a Navy vessel, the procedure would include jettison. So the point is pretty moot on that lol

The bolts attaching the pack to the vehicle have a lower melting point, and in the case of a thermal runaway, are designed to fail and crack the case open so that coolant can be applied to the pack directly. And in the best case scenario, the vehicle dragged away from the sputtering pack so you can actually squash the fire and discharge the pack.

-Crissa

 

[DrPhyzx]

When do you think the Fire department will start using FOAM to put out electrical fires instead of WATER? You have to 'smother' the fire, not just get everything wet. Sure, works on gas cars because it gets rid of the fumes easier, but water and electricity don't mix well... Ever seen sprinklers in a server room?

You can't smother a battery fire the way that you are thinking, because it's not the oxygen-consuming fire that generates the heat, it's the electrical energy being released by the battery via a low-impedance short/arc. Unless you have enough foam to keep oxygen away from combustibles for however many hours it takes for the energy of the shorted cells to be depleted, using foam to prevent combustion is pointless.

For this reason, all EV and battery manufacturers, including Tesla, recommend water, LOTS of water. (Water won't make a dead short worse, is cheap, available, and is the best substance for removing heat.)

 

[BannedByTMC]

There are new, effective methods to fight EV battery fires that use an under car water mist and a vehicle blanket. Every fire department should have these.

Short version:



More detailed version:

 

[BannedByTMC]

A fire like that falls under a Class D or Electrical.

IAFC's Fire Department Response to Electric Vehicle Fires Bulletin:

• Secure a large, continuous and sustainable water supply from one or more fire hydrants or multiple water tenders (3,000-8,000 gallons).
• Where safe, consider chocking the wheels. EVs move silently, so never assume it is powered off. Never assume that an EV will not move.
• Extinguish small fires that do not involve the high voltage battery using typical vehicle firefighting procedures.
• When attacking the vehicle fire, understanding that once the contents of the fire are extinguished, sustained suppression on the battery pack may be necessary. Use a large volume of water such as multiple 1 3/4-inch hand-lines to suppress and cool the fire and the battery. Put water on the burning surfaces.

https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-too...t-response-to-electric-vehicle-fires-bulletin

 

[FitNess]

IAFC's Fire Department Response to Electric Vehicle Fires Bulletin:



https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-too...t-response-to-electric-vehicle-fires-bulletin

Very good info! Our local team is using this in their SOP’s and also the below:

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2021-01/ERG2020-WEB.pdf#page=214

 

[Mini2nut]

Could this be the after fire photo?

https://jalopnik.com/did-godzilla-eat-this-tesla-cybertruck-1851634030

 

[HaulingAss]

Could this be the after fire photo?

https://jalopnik.com/did-godzilla-eat-this-tesla-cybertruck-1851634030

Don't give Jalopnik the clicks. That has to be one of the stupidest anti-Tesla articles on the net.

 

[DrPhyzx]

Very good info! Our local team is using this in their SOP’s and also the below:

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2021-01/ERG2020-WEB.pdf#page=214

You linked to Li, the elemental metal (138), for which you do NOT want to use water (standard HS chem class demo . Lithium ion batteries are a different section (147):

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2021-01/ERG2020-WEB.pdf#page=232

 

[Jstoltz54]

Water is a decent coolant, which is why once the fire is under control, they need to continue misting the pack and making sure it's reducing in temperature.

Seems we also found another fire department not keeping up with the details of how to deal with a battery pack failure.

-Crissa

Frunk not open so they didn’t institute emergency power cutoff either. Education is important. All drivers should probably learn to always open the frunk in cases of collision before exiting or upon exiting their vehicle.

 

[CyberGus]

Frunk not open so they didn’t institute emergency power cutoff either. Education is important. All drivers should probably learn to always open the frunk in cases of collision before exiting or upon exiting their vehicle.

You don't need to open the frunk to access the cut-loop. An axe will do fine ;-)

 

[Jstoltz54]

You don't need to open the frunk to access the cut-loop. An axe will do fine ;-)

Sounds like a good test for those fellas that got more money than sense. ? Better yet, go all John Wayne on it and hit it with an RPG to blow out the fire? ?? You’re the best Gus. ?

 

[CyberGus]

Sounds like a good test for those fellas that got more money than sense. ? Better yet, go all John Wayne on it and hit it with an RPG to blow out the fire? ?? You’re the best Gus. ?

In all seriousness, the apron between the frunk lid and windscreen is plastic, so breaking through it to access the cut-loop seems like a trivial task for first-responders. It will damage the truck, but needing to snip the cut-loop probably means it was already totaled.

 

[Jstoltz54]

In all seriousness, the apron between the frunk lid and windscreen is plastic, so breaking through it to access the cut-loop seems like a trivial task for first-responders. It will damage the truck, but needing to snip the cut-loop probably means it was already totaled.

Oh, it’s exposed at the top of the hood? Had no idea. Good info, thanks.

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