Tesla semi

[Redneck in training]

Yep, a gas fire from my utility tractor did all you describe, but my best friend had his car dealership near completely destroyed by a battery fire in 2013, batteries aren稚 all that safe either.

I am guessing the dealership burned down because of all the gasoline in cars. It might started as battery short but without gasoline it would be no event.

 

[aczlan]

Not doing the tests in the original vehicle or doing extraction maneuvers seriously degrades the test results.

In what way? You claimed the following:
1. EV accidents become superfund sites for pollution clean up - Not mentioned at all in the study as an issue.
2. People are often burned chemically - Their sampling found that the off gassing from the burning batteries wasn't any more dangerous than the burning interior in a ICE vehicle
3. Electrocuted first responder personnel is common - Were they properly trained on where to cut (and where not to cut)? Can you show some incidents? The test I linked to said that they didn't see any voltage coming back on the stream of water and as long as they don't cut through the wires (which are placed where you don't normally need to cut a car to extract people), the risk of electrocution is low.
Please provide proof to back up your claims.

Aaron Z

 

[sd455dan]

In what way? You claimed the following:
1. EV accidents become superfund sites for pollution clean up - Not mentioned at all in the study as an issue.
2. People are often burned chemically - Their sampling found that the off gassing from the burning batteries wasn't any more dangerous than the burning interior in a ICE vehicle
3. Electrocuted first responder personnel is common - Were they properly trained on where to cut (and where not to cut)? Can you show some incidents? The test I linked to said that they didn't see any voltage coming back on the stream of water and as long as they don't cut through the wires (which are placed where you don't normally need to cut a car to extract people), the risk of electrocution is low.
Please provide proof to back up your claims.

Aaron Z

"EV accidents become superfund sites for pollution clean up"

Hard to believe that statement...
considering this description from EPA's own site:

Since 1980, EPA's Superfund program has helped protect human health and the environment by managing the cleanup of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites and responding to local and nationally significant environmental emergencies

Who knew A single Tesla, Volt or Leaf battery failure in an accident could cause a Nationally significant environmental Emergency...

 

[California]

Comeon guys let's not get this thread closed too.

 

[kloudbuster]

I think we've all watched too many movies. In real life I don't think that many cars or trucks are blowing up unless they are in a huge accident or overturn.
Of course if I'm in a car right next to that overturning flaming wreck, I would sure like to not perish due to the nearest vehicle's problem. Much less be in the back seat of the one that is having the problem. I stopped being a fireman just as EV was coming in. Today, particularly in California, the road is full of powerful batteries, hydrogen cells, and who knows what else, and we are driving right along next to them. Of course the road is also full of LP tankers (huge bomb on wheels), lethal chemicals, radioactive containers being shipped, so it's not like the road isn't a pretty hazardous place already.

So far, I haven't heard of anyone getting hurt in an EV where they wouldn't have gotten hurt in a conventional car accident, meaning the batteries did not cause the injury. Is there data on this? Must be. Are EV safer? Since most of them are small cars, hard to imagine they are. Though they are hardly drift machines.
But a plug in S class MB? Now there's a ride...
To go with your plug in Volvo EnergyStar cabover. With the optional quad retractable power cords.

Isn't the MB a hybrid? Has a four cylinder engine

 

[California]

he's getting beat up so bad by HS and the rest.

Why would you view this thread as individual posters win/lose????

For me, I see new technology and I'm curious. Some posts add to our understanding. That's what I would rather read. Not everything is a HS football game.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Seems some things never change:/ such a wealth of knowledge on here! Sure wish folks could disagree civilly!

Great thread even with the squabbling, lotsa interesting info for a bush rat like me to try to digest.

Back to electric semis, EVs are great and definitely have their place and will be able to do a major portion of transportation in the near future (I believe) if given the chance.
Not sure we are very close with the semis tho because of the hp needed, I don't think batteries will be up to it for a long time yet.

The diesel,electric trains, ships, and even trickling down to fishing boats are so efficient because they cut down on huge moving parts, putting the power right next to the wheels, props whatever. They still need that diesel motor providing the enormous amount of power.

With the trucks I think the best solution now would be a combo of technologies. Putting the electric motors right on the drive wheel saves a ton of energy right there and then you add in regenerative braking. But to capture that energy you need the batteries. So you use a smaller diesel (someday down the road a fuel cell) engine powering a generator keeping your batteries up(and yes you can stick solar panels all over the roof to help). Now your batteries are powering your semi down the road, faster discharge going up hill, faster speeds, etc at which times you would be discharging faster than the generator is charging but that all changes going down hill, stopped at a light(generator would have an eco throttle for that once the battery got topped) I think that is all possible now and would drastically cut down on hydrocarbons spewing out.

Who knows what the future holds, newer better batteries might just be able to power the whole kit n kabodle especially if that truck was floating on air

 

[newbury]

Why would you view this thread as individual posters win/lose????

Because he lives in Unfriendly Politics and that's how folks think in there. It's all snarky me against them in there.
I really wish they would close Unfriendly Politics and get these unpleasant folks to go elsewhere.
They are simply spoilers.
Please check the triangle with the exclamation point at the bottom left of the post to report it. If more of you do what I'm doing,
maybe we can clean the noise out of these discussions and focus on nice conversation.

I arrived at this thread late but have a sincere interest in electric power for big trucks.

Drew, one of the problems it seems with posters who live in FP is that they gang together and get in the habit of attacking opinions other than their own like a mass of maggots on a fresh piece of meat.
Some of them might be, to put it politely, "off their meds".
Perhaps it is time again to start flagging posters when they write like they are in a drunken Friendly Politics argument rather than a civil discussion of new technology. After all a bunch got suspended back in about 2012. Most went off shouting they would never be back, but sadly many of them did return.

I noticed in this thread comparison of a battery causing an entire car dealership to burn down to indicate how dangerous electric vehicles are. How about how dangerous cows are ? Remember the Chicago fire of 1871?

 

[daugen]

How about how dangerous cows are ?

just think of all that methane, pretty explosive I hear...
I think Bessie gets a pass here.

I'm happy to hear all points of view, it's the only way you learn.
However some folks have such a clear agenda, and fueled by the attack dog
mannerisms enjoyed in FP, wander out of there when they get bored. I now have two on ignore. And I'm happy if they ignore
me too. But they won't, because then there is no one to attack.

Sooner or later our tractors will be powered by something other than diesel engines. Maybe it will take a hundred years, but alternative power
is coming. Combustion engines will become less common. At some point hundreds of years from now, if pollution is still a problem
they might even ban combustion engines altogether if there really is a working alternative. Mazda is introducing a very unusual new engine this year, there really is new tech coming plus all the hybridization of cars. Isn't there even an F1 racing class just for
electric vehicles?

So how does one "hop up" an electrical engine? I'm sure you first start with hacking some control software so your new Volvo EnergyStar
puts out more juice, but what do you do with the motors themselves. Not like you can slap a turbo on them...but old wisdom was to remove windings, run hotter, flow more amps. And likely burn out sooner. We need Gale Banks to make a kit for electric motors.
Does anyone here have personal experience with electric high performance?

 

[Egon]

Do you know the difference between bike and rider? Your post indicates you might have them blurred, I壇 ride a V-Rod or similar, not many of their riders fit your description, neither do I. I do know cool, very well, not sure you do.

Just observations made from the passing summer groups of riders.

Cool; you're right, I don't know what it is. Comfort & enjoyment does come into my realm of feeling good though.

Got some sixty year old scars that may mean I went through a cool stage though.