Leslie is out of town, which means I don’t get my daily dose of California craziness.
Thanks to Beege Welborn at Hot Air, I found one of Leslie’s favorite topics: electric vehicles.
On Saturday, a fire at an electric vehicle charging station in a Target parking lot burned multiple vehicles.
Authorities had to call a hazmat crew to handle the “lithium-ion battery cleanup and disposal.”
Hertz lost a few of its EVs at the San Diego International Airport due to a fire two weeks ago. The fire also “spread to a fence and nearby trees, producing heavy smoke visible from the airport.”
Yes, a hazmat crew had to get involved due to the batteries.
In May 2024, a fire at a San Diego-area warehouse burned for days due to the lithium batteries it stored.
The fire frustrated firefighters because of a “thermal runaway” that occurred when the batteries overheated. The fire “spreads from one battery to another, especially when they are stacked inside a battery storage facility.”
A few months later, hazmat crews fought a fire involving an electric truck battery on I-80 in Northern California.
The fire started at 3:15 AM and lasted over eight hours, causing the authorities to close the highway.
Despite all these stories and many more, I found out that California plans to spend $55 million to expand fast EV charging stations.
A few people are happy. Others not so much because of the loss of parking spaces.
However, one EV owner regrets buying one:
Firooz Feizi bought an electric car two years ago because he said gas prices were getting too high. Now, he is second guessing his decision.“Electric cars have a problem. One problem is the range. I can’t drive for a long time,” Feizi said.As a rideshare driver, he stops to charge at least three times per day, which is why access to a fast-charging station is essential.
In July, a UCLA study found that the air around charging stations contained a high concentration of “dangerous air particles, known as particle matter (PM) 2.5.”
“The tiny particles likely come from particle resuspension around Direct Current Fast Charging power cabinets,” according to the study. “Cooling fans designed to prevent the electronics from overheating can also stir up dust and particles from internal surfaces.”
They “ranged from 7.3 to 39.0 micrograms per cubic meter.”
Oh, look! PM2.5 is one of the most dangerous pollutants:
Air pollution is a pressing global issue, and among the various pollutants that contribute to poor air quality, PM2.5 stands out as one of the most dangerous. PM refers to particulate matter also called particle pollution as a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. PM2.5 does not include gas particles. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers (microns) in diameter or μm, making it incredibly small and, consequently, a significant health risk as it can land in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The smaller size means the particles can last longer in the air.
[Featured image via Fox 5 San Diego]
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