When a car accident occurs, large or small, with or without injuries, it can require multiple people and agencies to take care of everything from rerouting traffic to treating the injured to cleaning up the mess.
In a perfect world, the respondents are well-trained professionals who know how to deal with situations like chemical leakage from vehicles and damaged vehicles that need to be towed. According to the Beer & Wrecker Officer of the Chattanooga Police Department John Collins, the lithium-ion batteries in electric cars have created a new hazard potential that the police, fire brigade and towing and towing services are only now grappling with.
“This is something completely new that I didn’t even know about a month ago,” Collins told the Chattanooga Beer & Wrecker Board during its July 1st meeting. His comments came at the end of the meeting as part of an early, informal discussion about a possible update to the city’s Pest Regulation and Pest Violation Guidelines.
Batteries can get wet and explode or catch fire if damaged, and if they do, the fumes can be extremely dangerous. Traditional lead-acid batteries can and often are recycled, but the lithium-ion versions do not.
They are larger and heavier than normal cars and consist of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which have to be dismantled. They also contain dangerous substances and can explode if incorrectly dismantled.
Some towing companies and junkyards are unaware of the problem.
“We didn’t tow electric cars,” said Brad Parker of Parker Auto Sales & Towing on Ringgold Road, “and I’m not aware of that.”
Chattanooga has contracts with approximately 30 companies paid by the city to pick up abandoned, broken, or inoperable vehicles on city, state, or federal highways within the city. These are towed to one of 35 yards owned by the towing companies. If the battery or battery compartment of an electric vehicle is damaged, it can explode if wet or catch fire, producing a dangerous gas.
Chattanooga Fire Department spokeswoman Lindsey Rogers said the department was deeply concerned.
“There are unique hazards associated with these types of vehicles,” she said in a written statement. “It is worrying if the battery compartment catches fire as it can generate dangerous fumes. We want our firefighters to know what precautions must be taken to protect the public and first aiders. “
According to Rogers, not only are leaking fumes dangerous, but putting out an electric car fire also requires a lot of resources.
“For example, a Tesla fire in Texas took more than 30,000 gallons of water to extinguish in four hours because of the heat the fire generated,” she said. “That’s 15 tankers. A typical car fire takes around 30 minutes and around 500-1,000 liters of water.
“As soon as they arrive at the junkyard, electric cars can still be dangerous after the accident. There may be incidents in which the vehicle could ignite a fire. “
She said the issue is being addressed nationwide and “the Chattanooga Fire Department stands ready to take on the challenge as this type of technology develops. We will respond and do our best to mitigate any emergency.”
“These vehicles are safe, but if there is an incident they will need to be handled differently because of the materials used,” said Captain Robert Thompson of the Fire Department’s Special Operations Division. “We are currently working with the city, county, and state forces on this issue to ensure a timely and safe response.”
Rogers also said that while the fire department has not responded to EV incidents, they have conducted and will continue to provide training on how to respond to car accidents and car fires in which they are involved.
“We know it’s not when, it’s when,” she said.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
