Lithium Battery Fires following Hurricane Helene
The current estimate of losses arising from Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida and Georgia and caused flooding in the Carolinas and Tennessee, is between US$20 to US$34 billion, according to Moody’s Analytics, with US$15-$26 billion being property damage. Of this, AM Best is estimating USD5 billion will be insured. This shows the continuing trend of insurers moving away from high-risk areas, starting as far back as the 1960’s, when a typical hurricane would have the industry covering around 60% of the losses.
60 people are reported to have perished, with millions of homes without power.
What we are seeing this time is in line with Hurricane Ian in 2022, when over 20 electric vehicles caught fire after being submerged or partially submerged by saltwater from flooding or storm surge. This situation becomes worse if the car is inside a garage that is part of a home or similar structure. This puts enormous stress on the emergency services, who are already stretched dealing with the effects of the storm.
There are many videos on YouTube reporting on the issue. Here is a link to one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReD1-oHfSyU&pp=ygUZZXYgZmlyZXMgZm9sbG93aW5nIGhlbGVuZQ%3D%3D
It is not just electrical vehicles that can catch fire after being inundated by saltwater but any lithium batteries, ranging from golf carts to power tools, computers and phones.
The message from fire departments in the US is to remove electric vehicles that have been inundated by saltwater to an area where it is at least 15 meters away from any combustible material. For smaller batteries, the required distance is less, but the importance of removing them out of a homes, offices, or other buildings once damaged by saltwater should not be ignored.
I am not against electric vehicles. We have one in the family, and while they have great benefits, they also come with risks that need to be understood and acted upon. The major takeaways are batteries that have been damaged from any cause, including inundation by saltwater, should not be placed on charge, need to be kept well away from your homes or other buildings, and replaced as soon as possible.
As an aside, I believe care should be taken with lithium batteries on or around pleasure craft due to the risk of fire from damaged batteries.