Is Green Energy REALLY green?

[Ca.]

This fire was more likely caused by the recent floods in Korea. EV batteries and water don't mix.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820995647895695672

In the evening of July 29 at 7:16 PM, a man in his 40s, parked his Mercedes-Benz electric car in the underground parking lot of the B apartment complex in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon. Just 59 hours later, on the morning of August 1 at around 6:15 AM, the vehicle began emitting smoke and subsequently exploded into flames. The fire resulted in over 140 vehicles being burned and 23 people being hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.

The aftermath of the incident was starkly visible on the morning of August 2, with a vehicle completely burned out in the underground parking lot of the apartment complex. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the battery industry, the battery cell of the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan that caught fire was a product of China's Farasis. This battery is of the Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) type, though the exact model name has not been disclosed.

Founded in 2009, Farasis achieved sales of $2.32 billion last year, ranking 10th globally in terms of sales and shipment volume. In 2018, Farasis signed a 10-year battery supply contract with Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, and in 2020, Mercedes-Benz acquired about a 3% stake in Farasis to jointly develop batteries. However, Farasis' battery products have previously been subject to recalls in China due to fire risks. In March 2021, China's state-owned Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) recalled 31,963 electric vehicles equipped with Farasis batteries, citing "the possibility of battery fires under certain conditions."

The recent fire in Incheon has reignited concerns about the safety of Chinese batteries, particularly those of the NCM type. An industry insider commented, "Chinese lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries have proven their quality to some extent in the market, but NCM batteries are still newcomers." Another insider added, "Unlike Korea, which spends astronomical amounts to improve battery yield, there are many doubts within the industry about China's (NCM battery) technology and safety." The incident has also caught the attention of global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that receive battery supplies, with one insider noting, "Global OEMs will inevitably pay attention to this fire incident."

The fire has not only caused significant material damage but has also raised questions about the quality and safety of Chinese-manufactured batteries. While China has rapidly dominated the market with low-priced batteries, there are still doubts about their technology and quality, which require large-scale investment and long-term research and development (R&D). The incident underscores the chronic safety issues that some analysts suggest are inherent in Chinese batteries.

As the investigation continues, the focus will likely be on the regulatory environment for electric vehicles and batteries, including safety standards and recall procedures. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in South Korea will play a crucial role in determining the next steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

출처 : Businesskorea(Businesskorea)

 

[Ca.]

California's I-80 closed in Sierra foothills due to wildfire started by Tesla semitruck
Updated Aug 19, 2024 5:09 p.m.
Toxic fumes wafted from a Tesla commercial semitruck that caught fire on Interstate 80 near Colfax on Monday afternoon, with flames spreading to nearby vegetation and officials fully closing the highway for hours. At 5 p.m., Caltrans reopened just the westbound lanes to all traffic.

Caltrans reported a complete closure of Interstate 80, between Colfax and state Route 20, shortly before 2 p.m. Westbound I-80 reopened at 4:30 p.m. while eastbound lanes remained closed, the California Highway Patrol said.

The earliest the highway is expected to fully reopen is 6 p.m., said Yvette Norman, a CHP spokesperson. “As soon as we hear any updates we’ll be sure to post it to our social media,” Norman said.

Mary Eldridge, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said the fire was started by hazardous materials within the vehicle’s lithium ion batteries and fumes from the chemicals are dangerous to anyone within a third of a mile of the fire.

“As long as the vehicle has vapor coming off it, that is extremely toxic,” Eldridge said over the phone. “We don’t want anyone driving by with open windows. We don’t want any of that getting into vehicles, so this fire has to be done before the road can reopen.”

Eldridge said the semitruck, which is an 18-wheeler and can carry up to 80,000 pounds, went off the road. She said an investigation will look into why the vehicle veered and whether the fire started before it went off the road or after.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1825608380708434216

The vegetation fire has been named the Blue Fire because it’s located near the Blue Canyon exit on I-80. The fire is small with minimal spread as aircraft were quick to dump fire retardant over the area, Eldridge said.

 

[cindyj]

With the increasing threat of lithium battery fires, I am wondering what fire suppression technologies are being developed to better address this problem? It seems necessary to carry/store better extinguishers, to more quickly attack these fast, incredibly hot fires. Are home and car insurance policies addressing this increased risk?

 

[cindyj]

Well, I have started answering my own question, above, added here in case of interest.

In June 2024, researchers from the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, participated in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) symposium, Progress with Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety: Engineering Solutions to Mobility and Storage Hazards. The three-day event marked the first symposium for the fire protection engineering community focused on lithium-ion battery hazards...

Full article here: Learn how FSRI supported SFPE’s lithium-ion battery symposium.

So, it looks like solutions will be coming. It is tragic how often a new technology proliferates before its dangers become apparent and only then be addressed.

 

[Voyageur]

Poor Al Gore!

New movie on Gore, well on [AI] Al Gore anyway.

Trailer:

Film Description: In his film An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore proclaimed a “climate emergency,” and became the godfather of today’s worldwide climate change movement. Al Gore, who is no scientist, repeatedly claimed his Harvard professor Roger Revelle was the source of his “climate science”. Director Joel Gilbert, who worked for then US Senator Al Gore, digs deep and discovers that Revelle had in fact rejected Gore’s climate alarmism, in spite of his claims. Through his investigation, Gilbert finds that the real origin of Al Gore’s climate apocalypse came from his time at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Gilbert also demonstrates that Gore plagiarized a radical environmental book from the 1940s to produce his 1992 manifesto, Earth in the Balance.

In The Climate According to AI Al Gore, Gilbert confronts an AI generated “Al Gore” about his entire life history, his struggle to fulfill the political ambitions laid out for him by his parents, and his exploitation of climate politics to offset his personal insecurity. This film exposes the climate scare as nothing more than a political tool used by groups who wish to undermine free-market capitalism and impose big government socialist ideals upon unsuspecting voters.

Here is the late John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel on both Gore and Revelle: