Electric Vehicles - dangers of same

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I’ve seen some terrifying video clips of electric vehicles bursting into flames, then more or less exploding. So I’m going to add to my House Rules: No charging of electric or hybrid vehicles. Such vehicles must be parked in the street.

It seems that authorities are doing everything they can to get people to switch to these dangerous vehicles. I assume insurance companies everywhere are reviewing their policies too. Imagine an apartment block with an underground parking garage filled with eith EVs? Or one catches alight in a tunnel?

Thoughts?

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I’m sure that the clips are concerning.

I don’t know where you’re located, but what I’ve read is that some EVs have caught fire because of saltwater getting into the battery(-ies) and causing a short circuit, with the saltwater coming from a hurricane. Tesla says that far fewer EVs burst into flames (I think they use a different phrase) than combustible – I mean, internal combustion – engines per billion miles travelled.

But you might want to look at this more positively. If you believe that EVs are so dangerous, perhaps you could offer to buy an accidental life insurance policy on your EV guest’s life.

If they ask why, just say “I’m feeling lucky.”

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Of course the ones that burst into flames make the news. I’m sure it’s a tiny percentage compared to the number of EVs that are out there. They aren’t inherently dangerous, as you seem to think. And there are going to be more and more of them, so not allowing guests to park on the property or charge their vehicles is going to lose you some bookings.

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" Further, Tesla, which is responsible for more than half of U.S. EVs, reported roughly five car fires per billion miles driven compared to 55 fires per billion miles driven among all cars. One big caveat here is that the majority of car fires occur with older model cars." Source

I agree with @muddy

@Pam1 Is your listing that far off the beaten track?

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Where are you located, & what is your main news feed? :face_with_monocle:

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Oh well, if I lose some bookings, so be it. But when you see the intensity of the fires and how quickly they can burn down anything nearby, well,it does change one’s perspective. Fire Departments don’t really have the ability to extinguish the blaze, from what I’ve heard.

But it’s my house, and I set the rules! (the airbnb unit is attached to the house).

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Can’t remember, but if you search on Twitter (X) or Youtube, I’m sure you’ll see them. The issue has also been highlighted on our national broadcaster, the ABC, here in Australia.

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No, it’s just a regular suburb near Brisbane Australia. I have no idea where the nearest charging station is - or how one traverses the vast distances we have in Australia in an EV. Hybrid might work, I suppose.

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I understand the problem probably won’t come from Tesla, but it’s when car owners change components of the system and use cheaper Chinese products. I believe that’s what happened in the UK with electric scooters catching fire - killed 8 people and injured at least 190 since 2020. (Guardian newspaper). (Plus they were charging them close to the house or apartment.)

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My friend’s Hyundai Kona (full EV, not hybrid) goes 450k on a full charge. I imagine that there are places with electricity within a distance that far in Oz?

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Lol, gas powered cars catch fire every day of the week. Not a single day goes by without a gas car catching on fire.

I offer a EV charger, its part of my property description even.

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THe difference is that fires in internal combustion cars tend to happen when they are driving and hot-hot-hot, whereas fires in EVs often happen while they’re charging…
… in the driveway
… beside the house
… at an Airbnb.

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Well, it looks like this is more serious than I thought!

Of course all should respect a Host who chooses not to permit EV charging.

It makes me wonder – and we’ve had posts about electric vehicles here – the safety of permitting guests to charge their EV with just a regular or even any extension cord (Level 1 charging).

One site says “as a general rule of thumb, you will need a 12-gauge [outdoor] extension cord for a standard 110-volt outlet and a 6-gauge extension cord for a 220-volt outlet.” Elsewhere the article says that the amperage of the cord must match that of the charger, 32 amps for Teslas, they say. So there’s that.

If a Host does allow Level 1 charging it would make sense either for the Host to figure out the type of cord needed (and supply it) or to require that the guest use the appropriate cord (whether it’s a charging cord or an extension cord)-- some manufacturers say it is not safe to use a typical home extension cord.

One source suggests using this charging cord, which is $250! Or if an extension cord is to be used, this Camco extension cord, which is closer to $150.

Yet some manufacturers say it’s not safe to use an extension cord at all.

Screenshot 2023-08-14 at 1.36.49 AM
Screenshot 2023-08-14 at 1.36.49 AM1808×542 76.6 KB

The Host incurs risk either way but by providing the cord it’s more likely the guest will use it and damage less likely to result from using an improper cord. The Host should consider the path the cord will take from the outlet to the vehicle and whether it will create a trip hazard.

It looks like Australia has very specific requirements for EV charging (Level 2).

→ The takeaway for me is that a Host without a code-compliant EV charger (Level 2) might want to do some research before permitting guests to plug their vehicle into an outlet, might want to edit rules/confirmation messages, evaluate the safety issues and discuss the situation with their insurer including if EV charging is to be permitted who should provide the cord and what type, whether extension cords should be permitted.

If it were me I wouldn’t permit Level 1 charging for these safety reasons, and permit it only if I had a dedicated Level 2 charger. Even then, as @Pam1 is pointing out, there are risks, which I find acceptable but some might not.

Of course, some Hosts and guests will think this is all overkill. But in the end your property is on the line. Maybe also your neighbor’s.

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This is a particularly popular forum for trolls today.

No, ‘authorities’ are not ‘doing everything they can to get people to switch to these dangerous vehicles.’ The changeover from fossil fuels and the demise of the internal combustion machine, I am sure, is, stressful, especially if your livelihood depends on selling gasoline, for example, but for me, change to renewable energy sources cannot come fast enough.

Just like the fear of people peeing into my shampoo, bottles keeps some folks from embracing a future with less petroleum products, this unfounded fear has no place in a host forum for Airbnb hosts.

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Oh dear. Calm down dear. I’m not disputing climate change. I’m merely interested in my personal safety and the safety of my property. I can see how this merges into bigger issues, but we are here to share issues of being hosts for short term rental.

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Yes. Thanks. I’m discovering that the issue, safety-wise, seems to be overnight charging, especially when it happens adjacent to a dwelling.

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ha, hilarious. you want to turn this into a red/blue situation, like what happened during Covid, so that all real science could be blocked ?

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Sorry, YOU need to provide the ‘proof’. Telling folks to ‘search’ shows me that you have no ‘proof’ - asserting something without evidence is trolling.

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You are wrong about EV fires

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Hi @Pam1 ,

Are you talking about Level 1 charging – using your electrical outlets perhaps (and this is critical in my way of thinking) using an extension cord?

Or are you talking about using a Level 2 charger, which is dedicated for this sole purpose?

Because I’m with you in not permitting Level 1 charging.

Level 2 charging with a code-compliant charger seems to me to be an acceptable risk.