Burning Teslas in L.A. Add to Toxic Mix Hindering Cleanup

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Posted on 01/17/2025 7:50:29 AM PST by karpov

As the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems.

Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring specialized removal in the wake of the fires, delaying the fire victims’ return to their properties.

“A lot of the cars in the evacuation area were lithium batteries,” said Jacqui Irwin, a state assembly member representing the Pacific Palisades, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the fires. “We’ve heard from firefighters that those lithium batteries burned fires near homes — like those with power walls — for much longer.”

The L.A. wildfires, which began Jan. 7, have taken at least 27 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. While the dry, dangerous winds are forecast to end — a lack of rain and another possible round of winds next week has kept officials concerned that the danger is not over.

Estimates for insurance losses from the fires have rapidly jumped to as high as $40 billion and BlackRock Inc. CEO Larry Fink has warned it could take a decade to rebuild the city. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated $100 million to the cleanup effort.

There were over 431,000 Teslas in operation in the Los Angeles area as of October 2024, according to data from S&P Global Mobility. Based on new registrations, their market share locally was three times that of the rest of the nation. The Tesla Model Y was the biggest-selling vehicle in the state through September, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.

Fires in lithium batteries can require large amounts of water to put out

(Excerpt) Read more at ttnews.com ...

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Yet another reason California should ditch its pending ban on gasoline-powered car sales.

1 posted on 01/17/2025 7:50:29 AM PST by karpov

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