All car and truck manufacturers are already required to create emergency response guides for first responders on how to deal with everything from safely extricating someone from a crashed car to high-voltage disconnect instructions. by the National Transportation Safety Board found that more information about dealing with battery fires was needed.
"The safety systems inside a lithium-ion battery generally prevent that type of thing happening unless there is some significant physical damage to that battery," said Kamath, who has worked on battery issues for more than 20 years. EV batteries are designed with seals to protect against water intrusion, said Stu Fowle, a communications director with General Motors.
"They have done a lot of engineering to make sure that in the event of flooding or something that would interfere with the operation, the system shuts down," he said.No vehicle, whether powered by gasoline or a battery, is safe to drive after being flooded, multiple experts warned. Estimates put the number of electric vehicles on U.S. roads at somewhere between one and two million. That's a far cry from the 286 million total cars registered, but does mean an increasing number of Americans are driving battery-powered vehicles. There's a learning curve, say experts.
What's it cost to replace the batteries
“Activate boat mode”