There are some lessons to be learned here, but we've become so dependent on these things so quickly that I'm not sure what we pivot to.

I think probably breathing deeply and figuring out how to deal with the problems we have on our hands right now would be a good thing before we proceed any further into this brave, new, all-electric mandated world, no?

What am I talking about?

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) going boom in the worst places and what to do when that happens.

On Thursday, the 26th of September, on the freeway outside of the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, one of "those accidents" happened.

A tractor-trailer carrying large lithium-ion batteries overturned and caught on fire on a highway near the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday, snarling traffic and leading to road closures and the shuttering of several terminals at the port.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement Thursday night that the fire was expected to burn for at least another 24 to 48 hours and that a roughly seven-mile stretch of California State Route 47, from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to Long Beach, would be closed in that period.

The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere, said that several terminals would be closed on Friday.

The crash in the San Pedro neighborhood on Thursday morning did not result in any injuries, but fire crews were taking precautions to block hazardous materials from potentially spreading from the batteries, one of which exploded, the department said.

It quickly became a traffic and logistic nightmare.

Traffic is jammed near the Port of Los Angeles after an overturned big rig carrying lithium-ion batteries led to a partial closure of the 47 Freeway as hazmat investigators respond to the scene. https://t.co/X6yaBiWyeW pic.twitter.com/SY5lyJFxY4

— KCAL News (@kcalnews) September 26, 2024

And all one can say is thank God no one was near when the thing blew even though, looking at how close the traffic was, it's still too close to comfort for me.

Terminal Island- Video shows explosion of Lithium Ion batteries after semi crashes shutting down 47 Freeway & the Vincent Thomas Bridge midday Thursday.
The bridge is closed. Fire in the container is still burning. Road closures in that area could last days. pic.twitter.com/wMQS6B0YZo

— Ruben Villaescusa (@RubenNews) September 27, 2024

The only answer, as always, is to suck it up and let the thing burn itself out, praying the other batteries don't light off.

They finally brought in some yuge cranes to haul it away two days later.

In the meanwhile, Hurricane Helene was making a beeline for the Florida Coast, and FL officials were out with warnings about EVs and saltwater not mixing. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged EV owners this week to get their vehicles to higher ground before Hurricane Helene arrived. Although the problem is rare, there have been a number of instances in recent years of electric vehicles igniting after hurricanes.

Keeping electric vehicles out of standing water is the best way to avoid the possibility of a fire.

Tesla offers similar advice about avoiding letting its vehicles become submerged if at all possible, but if that does happen the carmaker suggests towing the vehicle at least 50 feet away from structures or anything combustible until it can be inspected by a mechanic.

But other officials, NHTSA, and advocates still waffle on the problematic possibility. Which leaves EV owners kind of waving in the breeze, particularly if they didn't really do their homework and were in the possible path of a storm surge zone.

EV fires are no joke and legislation forcing them on America will kill people. "If Green Energy Is the Future, Bring a Fire Extinguisher. Lithium batteries are supposed to make the world safer. Instead they keep bursting into flames." https://t.co/9Fb2F5NPAc pic.twitter.com/dFaIiPAeZq

— Tom Vierhile (@TomVierhile) September 27, 2024

In the meantime, our FL state guys meant the "higher ground" part of that warning most sincerely. As it turns out, salt water will still make it into your garage during a storm surge - go figure. And where your house might have been standing afterward, if that EV gets pissy with the saltwater, it's not going to turn out so well at all.

This is awful.

ELECTRIC WARNING: #Florida officials are telling those who have electric vehicles that were left behind to let them know as the saltwater inundation from #Helene is causing fiery problems. pic.twitter.com/1gb38E1Y6O

— Ultra Cat (@MrTruth_199) September 30, 2024

So far, our CFO and State Fire Marshall Jimmy Patronis has confirmed 16 cases of EV fires due to water intrusion.

Yea, they don't do well with water. Manufacturers definitely need to bring more awareness to this.

— Shane Funk (@TheBigFunk) October 2, 2024

It's just tragic.

For the record, saltwater is an especially sneaky and nasty EV intruder.

...The damage caused by submerging an EV in saltwater does not disappear once the water recedes. Sometimes EVs that have been submerged in saltwater can catch fire long after the water evaporates since the conductive salt is still present. Following Hurricane Ian, it’s estimated that 5,000 EVs were compromised by water and 36 of them caught fire. Not every EV that’s submerged will catch fire, but it’s important to heed warnings since EV fires are so difficult to extinguish. Florida currently faces elevated risk of these fires due to Hurricane Helene’s storm surge that caused ocean water to flood some areas as deep as 20 feet. If your EV has been compromised by flooding of any sort, park your vehicle away from anything combustible until it can be inspected by a professional.

Thank God the emergency response folks down here are all using ICE vehicles - can you imagine the chaos? No one would get rescued, and the conflagrations would be biblical.

Now, to be honest, I've only cataloged the past week's misadventures and mainly because the scale of Helene is so awful. But the month of September was a hummer for Li-Ion news.

A quick trip around the highlights:

On the 7th of September, a lithium-ion battery factory in Escondido, CA - which sits near an I-15 interchange - lit off, causing thousands to have to evacuate...

...and some sleepless nights for CalFire wondering when they could finally call it "out."

...The blaze sparked just after noon and is burning in the 500 block of Enterprise Street, just a few blocks from where Interstate 15 intersects with state Route 78 and quickly prompted evacuations of more than 500 businesses and 1,500 SDG&E customer homes, according to the electricity agency.

By Friday morning, firefighters said they noticed all activity died around 1 a.m. and has remained that way since. County hazmat and SDG&E experts are also at the scene with environmental monitors that have not picked up on any toxic gases.

On the 18th, a truck carrying 31,000 pounds of...bananas? 

No. Hauling 31K pounds of lithium-ion batteries crashed outside of Las Vegas and shut the US 95 highway down for a day.

On the 23rd, parts of the Port of Montreal and surrounding neighborhoods were evacuated when a refrigerated container with 15,000 kg of lithium-ion batteries went up.

MONTREAL TODAY:

A massive fire erupted at the Port of Montreal in a refrigerated container holding over 15,000 kg of lithium batteries.

Residents have either been evacuated or placed under lockdown for health and safety reasons. pic.twitter.com/BtExtGqFmr

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) September 24, 2024

Chase everyone out of their homes for however long, hope nothing further blows up, let it burn out.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

It's about damn time we had a better plan before we carry on telling people they must have THIS EV or they have to allow THAT battery storage facility or factory in their neighborhood.

There is too much of this happening for there to be no fix available, and I don't care what my carbon footprint is.