Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 25

Chevy Volt battery damaged in a 2011 fire that erupted
three weeks after a crash test

Among the 15 safety recommendations the independent
agency sent to the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and
battery supplier GS Yuasa: Require manufacturers to demonstrate acceptable performance as part of the certification for any
aircraft that incorporates permanent lithium ion batteries.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS FOR SOMETHING

EVs might necessitate a shift in the way firefighters battle certain car fires. But Michael Gorin, emerging issues program manager at the National Fire Prevention Association, emphasizes
they're not creating new risk."I would not say an EV fire is any
more challenging or dangerous than a fire in a car with an internal-combustion engine," he said. "It's a different set of tactics."
First responders have plenty of experience with vehicle fires,
which number an estimated 171,500 every year on U.S. roads,
according to the National Fire Data Center, a division of the
Federal Emergency Management Administration. About one in
eight fires that fire departments respond to is a highway vehicle fire, the agency says. That doesn't include fire department
responses to collisions.

Photo: Bloomberg

Damaged battery case from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner

TO BE CONTINUED

The next chapter in battery safety may be written by NHTSA. Last
month, the federal agency began a probe of an "alarming number
of car fires that have occurred worldwide" in Tesla Model S and
Model X vehicles.
Investigators zeroed in on software updates to the battery
management systems. They've asked Tesla to provide responses
related to updates and their impact on charging rates, charging
capacity and thermal management during and after charging.
Tesla's ability to make software tweaks to batteries and other
vehicle systems via over-the-air updates remains unmatched in the
industry. NHTSA's investigation seems to ask whether such software versatility creates unintended battery-related consequences.
Responses from Tesla are due at the end of November. ■

Photo: Tesla via NTSB

Battery case from a Tesla Model S after a noncrash-related
fire in West Hollywood, Calif., in 2018

november 2019 * shift

Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019