New footage shows just how bad electric vehicle fires can get when allowed to burn, highlighting an issue that could hamper the adoption of EVs over their gas-powered alternatives.
CNBC obtained police body cam footage of the February 4 fires from a holding lot at Ford's Rogue Electric Vehicle Center, and it is dramatic.
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Police in the footage can be heard saying that they hope the holding lot "doesn't blow up" from the flames and that the smoke billowing from the fire was "clear as day."
The fire prompted Ford to shut down production, and not resume producing the F-150 Lightning until March 13. Weeks later, the company said that it was raising the price of the entry model to $60,000, about 50% more than its debut price.
EV battery fires can burn hotter and longer than traditional car fires and they also require new techniques to put out -- techniques that aren't always practiced or known by the first responders in a given area.
A recent EV fire took as many as 20,000 gallons of water to extinguish.
“This is a big issue globally,” said Michael O’Brian, board member of the International Fire Chiefs Association, to CNBC.
"We need to better understand what the best processes are through testing and evaluation with real firefighters."
Tesla (TSLA) has been the subject of numerous viral videos showing their vehicles catching fire, but the EV maker isn't the only one experiencing battery fire issues.
General Motors in October 2022 recalled 735 of its 2022 Hummer EVs and 85 of its BrightDrop EV600 electric vans due to a battery pack sealing problem. Later in December 2022, GM recalled 140,000 of its Chevrolet Bolt EVs due to a fire risk.
