Discovering fire is undoubtedly a high point in mankind's history, but it's easy to overlook its benefits when it's consuming something you own.
We'll forgive you if your thoughts turned towards electric cars at this stage. After all, the last few years have seen a few high-profile electric car meltdowns, invariably jumped upon my electric-skeptic news outlets and repeated ad nauseum thereafter.
But let's face it--regular cars occasionally burst into flames too. And they've been doing just that in China recently, as a recent heatwave takes its toll on cars across Shanghai.
As many as 60 vehicle fires have been reported since May, according to Ecns.cn. It isn't arson, but electrical shorts in over-taxed air conditioning systems.
With high outdoor temperatures and air-con units running flat out, something has to give eventually. It's usually the rubber coating of a wire, which then leads to short circuits and fires.
That's not to mention other causes of automobile fires--oil and fuel leaks onto hot components, or other unfortunate interactions between hot objects and flammable materials. Or hot objects, flammable materials and Ferraris.
Our message? Having your car catch fire really sucks.
But it's absolutely not an electric-car-only problem, and anyone who claims EVs are inherently unsafe probably needs a little perspective.
[Hat tip: Brian Henderson]
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