Tesla Cybertruck Explosion At Trump Hotel Was No Ordinary EV Accident [Video]

According to current data, a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle is ten times more likely to catch fire than an EV–but electric cars do go up in flames every now and then. As for why they catch fire, there are several potential causes including manufacturing defects, software glitches, and damage to the batteries themselves. 

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Unfortunately, when an EV does ignite, the batteries can enter a state known as “thermal runaway.” That’s when the heat generated by battery cells that are currently on fire causes nearby cells to combust too. This can make EV fires particularly tricky to put out: the lithium within the batteries tends to be the fire’s fuel source, and attempting to douse the flames with water will only make matters worse. The water will violently oxidize the lithium, and make the blaze more intense.

Extinguishers that use compounds like dry chemical, copper powder, CO2, extinguishing foam, powder graphite, or sodium carbonate can be used …