Hybridization (or electrification) and off-roading

Anyone want to place their bets as to how long before we see a 4wd hybrid (or full electric), regardless of brand, have a major incident where a battery fire gets out of control?

Seems like off-roading is likely to introduce stresses, shocks, and crashes that are going to be hard to protect against - and in places with lots of combustibles.

 

This is a great and valid point. Imagine the environmental impact if a lithium-ion battery punctures and leaks on a trail or near a stream.

 

Less of a leak concern on more of the potential for thermal runaway.

If you get a bad enough case, it’s more or less impossible to keep extinguished.

 

I’m sure it will happen. Just like ruptured gas tanks/ oil leaks / car fires can happen on trails.

But thermal runaway is less common for NiMH batteries, right?

NiMH is what Toyota uses in the iForce Max and will most likely be in the 6th gen 4runner.

 

Local news covered an electric battery fire recently and comments had been made regarding the large amounts of water required to contain the fire.

Based off of that a fire in a National forest or deep off road could be very disastrous. Want to think the car I mentioned above was 100% electric... kinda off subject.

 

Hasn't happened yet with Wrangler 4xe and Tundra hybrids, or the few Rivians. And Toyota is taking a very conservative approach with NiMH batteries (very robust, proven 20+ years in Toyota hybrid use) at the expense of severely low battery capacity.

I suspect the electronic parking brake will fail before the hybrid system, the same way ADD actuators and e-locker actuators fail today. If Toyota goes to an electric fan, that can also shatter when fording water. (Clutch fans have some "give" to avoid this )

Hell, the way things are going downhill, your local trails might get closed due to littering and treehugger lobbying before a hybrid 4x4 fire happens

 

Which is good for Toyota, but what about others…we’re in this together.

 

Can’t close our local trails, because there are none.

 

It doesn’t take a lithium battery failure to ignite a vehicle. Check out this guy’s experience in a Jeep:

“Car Camping Trip Goes Wrong - Ends in Disaster My most recent Jeep Overland Car Camping trip ended in disaster when my Jeep Wrangler JKU Rubicon caught fire and burned to the ground. I was 30 miles from pavement in some of the most remote desert in Oregon. I still have no idea what caused the Jeep to catch on fire but it burned to the ground...”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=afpnkCOsMFU

 

True, but it takes a lot for that to happen - and one can actually put out those fires.

Lithium battery fires are really another type of beast altogether.

 

You’re right. But any vehicle fire in the backcountry can be a disaster, unless air support is called in time. This guy was lucky it stayed contained.

 

Funny analogy here but I have taken my 2015 Prius on our off road trails here in Michigan lol. Its never caught on fire.

Our 88 Wrangler caught fire 2 years ago when the fuel line to the carburetor dry rotted and cracked. Thankfully I had an extinguisher strapped to the roll bar, I was able to put it out before it caught the woods on fire.

So gas vehicle catching fire on trail - 1 // Hybrid - 0 in my personal experiences.