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by thatsaguy 2574 days ago
What I get though is that ICEs might be subject to more stringent regulation at least for charging in the future.

At least in EU, cars with a compressed fuel tank (hydrogen, GPL or methane) cannot be parked in a closed or underground parking lot for one safety reason: risk of explosion. The risk is pretty low, and if you have such a tank you're also subjected to scheduled regular inspections and replacement of the tank, but you still cannot park underground. Not many people are aware or respect this limit, thanks to the fact that it's not easy to distinguish a car which has a dual fuel option.

Now imagine a lithium fire in a garage (maybe... your garage?).

2 comments

> Now imagine a lithium fire in a garage

Much less scary than gas leaking, filling part of a large underground parking garage, then getting ignited and collapsing the entire multi-story residential building built on top of the garage.

Also, while looking for examples, I learned that compressed gas (hydrogen, methane) is much less of a problem due to being lighter than air, so it doesn't accumulate as much, which means these cars are sometimes allowed. LPG, being heavier, sticks around near the ground also posing a suffocation risk.

I'm not sure I'd dismiss the risk so much. With burn temperatures reaching 600C, nearby electrolytes being vented also resulting in smaller burst explosions, difficulty in suppressing the fire, cars with other flammable products nearby and the toxicity of some formulations?
GPL is legal to park in garages through most of the EU. Belgium and France have some limitations (local regulations apply / need to have safety valve).
Portugal had that limitation up until the point where installation started to be tightly regulated, I suspect the same for the rest of EU