Myth Busted: Electric Cars Are Actually Hurricane-Resistant

By John Higham, EVA Board Member

We've all seen the memes and the clickbait headlines. EVs catch fire after being submerged. You can't charge your EV when the power is out. Reality is rarely so easily captured in a headline and this is no exception. Please use this quick guide as a resource when you are faced with misinformation on this topic.

Will an EV catch fire after being submerged?

A battery that is properly engineered and manufactured will be waterproof to some degree. It is rare, but EV fires have occurred after long periods of submersion. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) studied 5,000 EVs that flooded during hurricane Ian in 2022. Of those 5,000 cars, 36 suffered from thermal runaway (engineer-speak for fire). While that is a small fraction out of all EVs impacted, it is still 36 EVs too many. I note that none of the impacted EVs in the INL study were Rivians, like the one captured above after hurricane Helene. Maybe Rivian is on to something.

One of the positives for the EV industry from this tragedy is a better understanding of how to engineer and manufacture batteries to eliminate any fire potential in the future.

Can you charge your EV when the power is out?

If you're relying on grid power to charge, then obviously, no. It is important to note that in 2024 it is possible to know if a storm is coming your way with plenty of advance warning to charge up to 100%, which is at least 200 miles on any modern EV. Further, some EVs can be used to power your home directly, with enough stored energy to last a few days. Many affected EV owners have been able to simply drive to a neighboring town that had power and fast-charge their car in just a few minutes. In short - No power, no problem.

We live in a world with a lot of misinformation. Some of it is motivated by malicious intent. Some of it is simply an easy clickbait headline. Regardless of the reason, the best response to misinformation is fact-based simplicity.