Turns out electric vehicles can catch on fire. Apparently at rates lower than ICE vehicles, but much harder to actually put out. So who is to say which is better? Not Me.
But how much water does it take to put out an EV fire? Let’s take a look directly from an EV manufacturer, and some first hand accounts from Tesla fires.
From Tesla’s Emergency Response for their S model:
“It can take between approximately 3,000-8,000 gallons (11,356-30,283 liters) of water, applied directly to the battery, to fully extinguish and cool down a battery fire; always establish or request additional water supply early. If water is not immediately available, use CO2, dry chemicals, or another typical fire-extinguishing agent to fight the fire until water is available.”
Tesla, https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/2021_Model_S_Emergency_Response_Guide_en.pdf
From Tesla Fires:
“Crews worked for over an hour and utilized approximately 6,000 gallons of water from 3 fire engines and a water tender for full extinguishment as recommended in the Tesla emergency procedures manual.”
Sacramento Metro Fire District, https://www.facebook.com/MetroFireOfSacramento/posts/pfbid02NKEuAHr8Td6vDWNXZfX7yHGE7bNZLVuLcu795tvqdqGg2YgSYsyqjsJBVGdMjkVsl
“Additional tankers were called from three other fire departments and a total of 12,000 gallons (45,425 liters) of water were required to put out the fire. That’s considerably more than a normal car fire, which can take as little as 500 gallons (1,893 liters) to put out, according to the fire department.”
“An electric car crashed on a highway in Wakefield Thursday, bursting into flames that took more than two hours and 20,000 gallons of water to extinguish, police said.”
