Lithium quandary: Electric vehicles challenge LA fire cleanup
Burnt electric vehicles are complicating the work of emergency services in Los Angeles as they clean up after massive fires. Toxins from lithium-ion batteries require specialised equipment to extinguish them. Losses from the disaster are reported to be around £32 billion, according to Bloomberg.
The cleanup in Los Angeles following the devastating fires that broke out on 7th January is ongoing. However, the work of the services is hindered due to complications caused by toxins leaking from burnt electric and hybrid cars, as well as home battery storage systems.
Jacqui Irwin, a member of the California State Assembly, emphasised that many cars in the evacuation area had lithium batteries. "We heard from firefighters that these lithium batteries burnt for much longer near houses," she explained in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to insurance agency estimates, losses amount to £32 billion. Billionaire and BlackRock Inc. CEO Larry Fink has warned that the city's rebuilding could take some time. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated £81 million for fire damage mitigation.
Battery Issues
Bloomberg, based on data from S&P Global Mobility, reports that as of October last year, there were over 431,000 Teslas registered in the Los Angeles area. Their market share locally was three times larger than in the rest of the country. In September, Tesla's Model Y was the best-selling car in California..
The media note that extinguishing a lithium-ion battery requires much more water than dealing with traditional vehicles. Manufacturers are expected to publish guides for rescue services on how to react in the event of a fire.
Governor Gavin Newsom also assessed this week that California is "still adapting to newer technologies," such as lithium-ion batteries. Bloomberg reminds us that in 2023, Newsom signed an executive order requiring all vehicles sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035.
"A firefighter from San Diego, Robert Rezende, a specialist in lithium battery hazards who will assist in the cleanup, said that protocols developed during the 2023 Maui fires will be used in Los Angeles. But the scale of this event and its threats are much greater," Bloomberg reports.
After the Maui island fires in Hawaii, over 30 metric tonnes of lithium batteries from 1,400 properties were sent for recycling. Now the scale will be much larger.
Many residents are still unable to return to their homes, even if they at least partially survived the disaster. Services are informing residents that cleaning up debris can be dangerous due to the presence of mercury or asbestos.
