TAMPA, Fla. – As the water rose in Tampa during Hurricane Helene, fires also started to break out, and some of them started because of electric cars. Electric and water may not mix, but lithium-ion batteries present a whole new danger after a hurricane.
“Water and the ion batteries do not mix, and they literally explode,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during a Friday news conference.
Andrew Ellinor heard an explosion while hunkering down on Davis Islands. When the water rushed in during Helene, it inundated an electric car, causing it to spark. Only charred remains were left.
“You heard horns honking in the distance. The cars were shorting out,” Ellinor added. …