> but they also seem to happen less frequently.
Do they? Even comparing only other new cars? I just don’t trust the claims so far.
Do they? Even comparing only other new cars? I just don’t trust the claims so far.
What's odd is hybrids seem even more likely than petrol cars to catch fire, though EVs are far less likely. I guess the combination gives you the worst of both worlds in terms of fire risk.
It’s amazing it isn’t more of a problem, frankly.
“In older vehicles, the wiring and batteries start to break down, putting them more at risk of catching fire in an accident. Since most electric vehicles aren’t yet at the advanced age of older gas vehicles, there currently isn’t any data showing if they will be at a higher risk of battery and electric explosions as they age.”
So this is not yet corrected for age of the vehicle.
EVs are novel so anything happening with them is going to get more coverage even if ICE have the same problem.
There are FAR more ICE cars on the road than EVs so we have to adjust for that in figuring out the rate one would burst into flames.
Having said that, if you watch Tesla crashes much, you'll see a lot of amazingly hard side impacts that don't result in fires. Its actually pretty surprising to me how unusual post-crash fires are.
I’ve commuted almost a million miles in my life and seen one fire and that was a garbage truck. Of the “irregular” things I’ve seen on the road fire is probably one of the least common.