Insanity is a Burning Question
Insanity, the background
The beloved Mark Twain must have been a property claims adjuster, because he has correctly, or incorrectly, been given the honor of providing a working definition of insanity which is, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This repeating of the same mistakes time and time again is what Insurance Companies in this country and their claim staff have been letting happen regarding the Lithium-ion Battery and the Smart Meter. It seems to me the real issue is, come hell or high water, the United States will become fully electric without a regard for the consequences.
So, when I take the time to stop and consider the impact our love for the electronification of this country and the world, has produced, that love can be clearly demonstrated by the continued failures of the Lithium-ion Battery. I learn from the news every day about some fire and loss of life due to this battery invention which is meant to revolutionize our life. The experiences that the citizens of New York City went through are a perfect example of damage that our ignorance of the Lithium-ion problem can produce.
History of New York City and the Lithium-ion Battery
” Lithium-ion batteries were responsible for at least 220 fires in New York City in 2022 alone. According to city numbers, such fires caused at least 10 deaths and 226 injuries in 2021 and 2022. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded 25,000 incidents of fire or overheating in lithium-ion batteries between 2012 and 2017.” This research was concerning mobility devices and the impact of lithium batteries on them.
The following is a limited history of the Lithium-Ion Battery impact, Courtesy of www.firerescue1.com:
April 7, 2023: Electric bike explodes in Destin, Florida
April 2, 2023: Exploding e-bike battery injures man, destroys Barrio Logan apartment
March 31, 2023: Truck Carrying Batteries Explodes in Birmingham Alabama
March 12, 2023: Two firefighters injured in blaze at Queens E-bike shop
March 7, 2023: E-scooter caused a house fire in Carlsbad, California
March 6, 2023: E-scooter caused a 5-alarm fire injuring seven in the Bronx
March 5, 2023: E-scooter caused at an apartment building injured one in San Francisco
March 5, 2023: RC car batteries caused a fire at an apartment building in Pullman, Idaho
March 1, 2023: A vape pen caught fire on a flight from Dallas to Orlando injuring ten
Feb. 10, 2023: Electric bike killed one at a house fire in Sterling, Virginia
Feb. 7, 2023: Laptop battery ignited on a flight from California to New Jersey injuring four
Nov. 22, 2022: Electric wheelchair injured 2 at a senior apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Plus: In 2022, New York City experienced 220 lithium-ion related fires that killed six and injured 147 people.
Fire at Sea
CNN has reported the following concerning a fire abord the cargo ship carrying an estimated 3,048 vehicles including 70 fully electric vehicles and 681 hybrid vehicles into Mexico.
“A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship’s stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles Tuesday, according to US Coast Guard photos and a Wednesday statement from the ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime.
There were no reported injuries among the 22 crew members of the Morning Midas. Crew members abandoned ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific, 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) west of Anchorage, the state’s largest city.
The crew initiated emergency firefighting procedures with the ship’s onboard fire suppression system. But they were unable to bring the flames under control.”
What makes Lithium so easy to burn?
Lithium is the third element in the periodic table and it is the first solid (the two before are gases) and it is also the lightest metal. It is an alkali metal and shares the same period as sodium, potassium, cesium, etc. which means that it is a very reactive element and to keep it from reacting it must be stored in non-reactive mineral oil, or if budget’s not an issue, you can also keep it in a vacuum or even in an inert atmosphere, firefighterline.com.
Shipping Problems
Bloomberg reports the following new information available concerning the actions to take to ensure shipping and insurance companies continuing to supply vehicles to the world:
“Demand for lithium-ion batteries, including in EVs, is bringing a new risk to the global shipping industry, particularly given the value of the vehicles on board the largest car-carrying vessels, according to a report last month by insurance giant Allianz.”
While such ships haul thousands of vehicles at a time across the world’s oceans, a handful of significant blazes have raised concerns about transporting them. Such incidents can have major ramifications for carmakers, shipowners and the firms that insure them.
Fires involving EVs are often harder to extinguish and more dangerous to fight. The conditions of a tightly packed car-carrying cargo ship led to limited ventilation, which can rapidly intensify heat. The confined, steel-lined environment makes fire suppression and rescues significantly more dangerous.
Additionally, when an electric vehicle burns, it does so for longer and the fire gets hotter. The flames can end up accelerating through chain reactions and spiraling out of control quickly, a process called thermal runaway. EV fires can take up to 8,000 gallons of water to cool the lithium-ion batteries.”
Advice to Lithium-ion Battery Producers
For once, please take the time to research the problem(s) before putting your product out to the public risking life and limb. What price a life!
Respectfully Submitted,
Norman Lambe
nwlambe@gmail.com
Agreed, these tiny bombs (lithium batteries) are no improvement. The average person probably has 3-5 things powered by these tiny bombs. Sad fact, if you put those 3-5 batteries together, you could probably create a nearly unquenchable fire anywhere. Just an observation, I do try and refuse these things with lithium batteries, ubiquitous as they are in commerce now.
My laptop and my simple flip phone have them, so that’s 2, and 2 too many for me. At the local hardware store, less than 100 feet away, sit thousands of the things, in riding mowers, in formerly electric tools such as drills and grinders, all with these tiny bombs inside them. Humans do a lot of really dumb things, but this one….is truly exemplary.