ELECTRIC vehicles not yet safe?
Seemingly, yes.
Jun Magturo, my brother-in-law from Los Angeles, California, and who is a passionate car enthusiast, sent me an interesting story about electric vehicles exploding from water damage after Hurricane Ian in Florida, USA, recently. The Fox story was written by Thomas Catenacci. Here:
“A top Florida state official warned Thursday that firefighters have battled a number of fires caused by electric vehicle (EV) batteries waterlogged from Hurricane Ian.
“EV batteries that have been waterlogged in the wake of the hurricane are at risk of corrosion, which could lead to unexpected fires, according to Jimmy Patronis, the state’s top financial officer and fire marshal.
“There’s a ton of EVs disabled from Ian. As those batteries corrode, fires start,” Patronis tweeted. ‘That’s a new challenge that our firefighters haven’t faced before. At least on this kind of scale.
“It takes special training and understanding of EVs to ensure these fires are put out quickly and safely,’ he continued in a follow-up tweet.
“Patronis published a video of firefighters in Naples, Florida, battling a fire started from a Tesla EV’s battery. A bystander is overheard in the video saying that the crew had used hundreds of gallons of water attempting to put the fire out.
“Last week, Hurricane Ian pummeled cities along Florida’s west coast including Naples and Fort Myers, making landfall as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane caused more than 100 deaths and over a million residents to lose power.
“It is unclear how many EVs were impacted or destroyed by the storm.
“Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly turning to EVs as the Biden administration continues to push a green transition involving zero-emission cars. Between April and June, EVs accounted for 5.6 percent of new car purchases in the US, up slightly from the first three months of 2022, according to Kelley Blue Book.
“Shortly after taking office, President Biden announced a goal of ensuring that 50 percent of new car sales would be EVs by 2030.
“The Biden administration has also taken a number of steps to incentivize Americans to shift to EVs. The president has signed the inflation Reduction Act, a bill that included a provision that awards Americans a tax credit worth $7,500 per EV purchase, into law in August, and the Department of Transportation has worked to create a federal EV highway charging network.
“However, critics have blasted the administration for giving a ‘false impression’ about EVs, noting that they are expensive and often unreliable.
“[The EV push) is really kind of a con job,’ Myron Ebell, the director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment, told FOX Business in July. ‘It may be a good deal for some people in some places under some circumstances. But by-and-large right now, it’s not a good deal.”
Methizznks EVs will take a little more time before they could really take a foothold in the auto industry, especially in Third World countries where even traditional motoring technology has yet to impact fully in the boondocks.
EV shift? Not so fast.
Petron in Tour De Cebu
PETRON Blaze 100 Euro 6, recognized as the best gasoline in the Philippines, was the official fuel in the just-ended Tour De Cebu covering 1,000 kilometers of beautiful roads and highways along many scenic spots in the Visayas islands.
The event featured 40 vintage sports cars manufactured in 1972 and older, including collectibles like a 1960 Porsche 356B Cabriolet, 1961 Jaguar XKE, 1963 Corvette, 1965 Porsche 912, 1966 Shelby Mustang, 1966 Toyota Sports 800, 1968 Mercedes Benz 280 SL, 1968 Porsche Targa, 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, 1969 BMW 2002, 1970 Lancia Fulvia Zagato, 1971 Lotus Europa, 1972 Datsun 240Z, 1972 Porsche 914, 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia, Kougar Jaguar, Michel Speedster and Michel Spyder.
The rally from Cebu to Bohol lasted three days and was ran by the Performance and Classics Enthusiasts of Cebu and the Manila Sports Car Club.
PEE STOP Greetings (October 15) to the Wigo-Avanza driving Ricky Sadiwa, who plans to hold a big birthday bash in Bulacan in what Malaya, Ricky’s love of his life, describes as “Ricky’s first ever celebration that promises to be fun-filled and loaded with surprises for his guests to cherish and remember for years and years to come after the party is over.” Cheers!