I’m a motors expert – here’s why EVs are more dangerous than petrol cars if they burst into flames

A MOTORS expert has revealed why he thinks electric vehicles can be more dangerous than petrol cars.

Chris Keall used data from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to warn motorists about the risks of owning electric cars.

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Write for them New Zealand HeraldChris pointed out that electric vehicle fires are a major danger to motorists.

While he admitted that the risk of fires is lower with electric vehicles because they do not use flammable gasoline or diesel, he explained that when fires do happen, they are far more serious and difficult to control.

Chris wrote: “A fire in an electric vehicle can require more than ten times as much water to extinguish as a fire in a gasoline or diesel car.”

“A petrol or diesel car can need 2,000 to 4,000 liters to extinguish, an electric car 25,000 to 50,000 liters.”

Additionally, there is also the issue of “thermal runaway,” where a single part of the battery can fail and cause a chain reaction that results in the whole thing bursting into flames.

This creates a violent fire that can flare up again several days later, meaning more time and resources are required to bring it under control.

The reliance on lithium to make car batteries is also a concern for many experts for safety reasons.

Lithium is extremely reactive and can ignite or even explode if it comes into contact with water.

This means that leaks from the battery or bodywork that allow moisture to enter the electrical system can quickly lead to fires.

In fact, Porsche and Audi recently announced a recall of two of their popular electric car models that address this exact issue.

The companies stressed that they had not yet had any reports of fires, but urged customers to bring their cars in for inspection from October 31 out of “considerable caution”.

Just last week, dramatic footage from Australia showed a £50,000 Tesla exploding into a fireball on a major motorway.

Elsewhere, five cars burned at Sydney Airport after a faulty electric vehicle battery reportedly sparked an inferno.

And last month, 2,700 cars melted aboard a cargo ship when a suspected electric vehicle fire caused millions of dollars in damage.

This comes after an electric vehicle owner was in disbelief when he was told how much a repair shop would charge him to repair his battery.

Meanwhile, a major manufacturer discontinued a popular model as prices for its hybrid replacement rose.