[Steverino]

Oops. "During last night’s relentless pummeling of the Eastern Seaboard by Hurricane Sandy, over a dozen Karmas were reportedly submerged in water at Port Newark, New Jersey. But the bad luck didn’t stop there. According to an eyewitness report obtained by car culture site Jalopnik, the fleet of $100,000 plug-in hybrid sedans “then caught fire, exploded,” although the cause of the apparent fire has yet to be explained."

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/10/fisker-fire-new-jersey/

Of course, when it comes to this stuff first reports are often wrong. So let's wait and see.

If the reports are true, then this means you should not drive your Fisker into the ocean and remain inside the car as it sinks to the bottom. I think applies to sinking boats as well.

 

[petefoss]

Salt water short? That's how I dispose of old lipos from my RC airplanes. But I start with discharged batteries.

 

[mixedpixel]

That's sad to think about all those EVs that no one will ever get to drive.

 

[Logical_Thinker]

If Fisker survives, they need to have a flooding water-level-activated passive battery-disconnect and sealing system... this could be relatively simple and would completely isolate the battery from the outside.

It makes me wonder if the Volt is at risk in a flooding situation.
EDIT
Actually i recall specifically a GM video showing when the Volt was being designed how the engineers drove it through deep water and checked the inside of the battery for any water intrusion.
So no, i think the Volt had that situation already covered.

Any reports of exploding Volts post hurricane Sandy? I don't think so, but Volts are a dime a dozen compared to the relatively rare Karma.

 

[jeffhre]

If Fisker survives, they need to have a flooding water-level-activated passive battery-disconnect and sealing system... this could be relatively simple and would completely isolate the battery from the outside.

It makes me wonder if the Volt is at risk in a flooding situation.

No. NHTSA has determined that if your Volt is totally submerged in the event of a flood. You simply get in and drive away...just like any other car.

 

[Blarneo]

No. NHTSA has determined that if your Volt is totally submerged in the event of a flood. You simply get in and drive away...just like any other car.

I'd wait until the flood dissipates first. I don't want to flood the inside. You can never get he smell out.

 

[JDan]

Jeffhre:
“You simply get in and drive away...just like any other car.”

Most gas cars will go nowhere after being submerged in water due to the air intakes being filled with said water. The Volt’s gas generator would likely have the same problem. Though I do think the Volt in electric mode has a very good chance of allowing you to “simply get in and drive away” (Yes after leting the water out and drying off a bit), but unlike gas cars.

The rest of the eletronics are another story. Keep in mind it is salt water here which will likley short out any hot electronics.

 

[Steverino]

No. NHTSA has determined that if your Volt is totally submerged in the event of a flood. You simply get in and drive away...just like any other car.

Haha, yes, like a James Bond movie! Swim down to the totally submerged Volt, open the door with the key fob (water reduces its range a bit so be patient), get in and buckleup (your body will be trying to float back to the surface above), resist the urge to breath while you press the power button (the lighting effect underwater will be amazing) and drive your Volt submarine up and out of the water where ever the new shoreline is. Now it's important to be able to hold your breath for 3 - 5 minutes or so while doing all this. Otherwise you might need scuba gear.

 

[ronr64]

What a waste.

Not just the Fiskers but also all those other cars in the background must have been flooded as well. I just dont get flood damage to an item that is so easily moved. Insurance companies should only cover 1/2 for movable items damaged in flooding where there was adequate time to move them. I bet we would see a lot less flooded cars and destroyed boats in these type of events.

 

[adric22]

If the reports are true, then this means you should not drive your Fisker into the ocean and remain inside the car as it sinks to the bottom. I think applies to sinking boats as well.

Exactly. This is really as much of a non-issue as the Volt fires were. The cars are already going to be totalled by the insurance companies for being submerged. They might have been resold with a salvage title, I suppose. The fires obviously didn't hurt the value of the car or the people who might have owned them. And as I doubt anyone plans to drive their Fisker underwater, I really don't see it being a problem. But you can bet the media will make it out as a serious issue.

 

[Geoff]

More Than A Dozen Fisker Karma Hybrids Caught Fire

Duplicate post: please ignore

 

[fotomoto]

Gotta' be fast around here: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?18289

 

[Geoff]

I'll say! I searched the site for Fisker fires before posting and found nothing. I will remove this post.

 

[Noel Park]

How sad. I'm not a big Fisker fan but even I wouldn't wish this on them.

Strangely, it seems that there were a lot of fires connected with the flooding and wind from Sandy. Caused by downed power lines or something related it would seem. So maybe the Fiskers were victims of a fire that started some other way. I'm not one to make excuses for Fisker, but maybe it's too early to jump to conclusions.

 

[Noel Park]

adric22 @ #10

Yeah, you're right. Once a car is submerged, even if it's fresh water, insurance companies automatically total it. It just causes too many mechanical and electrical problems. And even when you think they're all fixed, new ones crop up later and cause endless comebacks. They've learned by bitter experience that it just doesn't pay to try to save them.

 

[bonaire]

There were a bunch of Nissan Leafs lost in Japan during the March 2011 tsunami. I don't think any caught fire.

One thing about import/export is sea-level port storage and I'm sure that nobody was slated to move all the import cars to higher-ground, whether they were $100K Karmas or $25K Volvos. Insurance companies should come down on these kind of situations and look to have them at least try to save stock rather than just going home with everything sitting a few feet above sea level.

 

[SolarJoe]

Wow Fisker cant catch a break 1st the A123 system now this. Company barely keeping it's head above water get flooded by the storm!

 

[jeffhre]

What a waste.

Not just the Fiskers but also all those other cars in the background must have been flooded as well. I just dont get flood damage to an item that is so easily moved. Insurance companies should only cover 1/2 for movable items damaged in flooding where there was adequate time to move them. I bet we would see a lot less flooded cars and destroyed boats in these type of events.

Planning and preparation are key. At one of my first jobs as an 18 yr old there was a sign over a construction craft planners desk. It read, "When you are up to your @ss in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp." Not politically correct, but it helps to illustrate that when people are fighting for survival in a hurricane, busy helping friends and relatives, securing children and animals...some details, like the elevation of the lot where a car was parked, may be missed.

As for insurance covering all or part of the cost, if there is just enough time to help the parents, and secure the kids. Then the cars will always have a lower priority. At least I would hope that was the case. And I won't sign up for any policy that covers half my damage, would you? One less point of stress in an emergent situation, IMO.

 

[kindofblue]

Cars are replaceable. People are not.

 

[spikestabber]

Cars are replaceable. People are not.

Well they had what? Almost a week of warning to get all those cars out of there for temporary storage elsewhere?

Heck, they don't even need stored, just parking the truck at some designated truck stop way in the safe zone until it passes?

Huge waste, no excuses for it.