"Porsche issues parking warning to EV owners to prevent devastating fires" - article

[tigerbalm]

I too reside in a large building with 200 units. I recently received a notice from the condo association that all E-bikes must be removed from the parking area. In addition, no bike EV batteries are permitted anywhere on the premises. I am waiting for them to ban EV's due to this fire concern. The municipality is fairly large and I am sure that the FD knows all about these issues.

The wording of this recent letter from Porsche helps nobody. Not even Porsche long-term.

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[Tooney]

I too reside in a large building with 200 units. I recently received a notice from the condo association that all E-bikes must be removed from the parking area. In addition, no bike EV batteries are permitted anywhere on the premises. I am waiting for them to ban EV's due to this fire concern. The municipality is fairly large and I am sure that the FD knows all about these issues.

Do you support the association's actions about E-bikes?

 

[tigerbalm]

Do you support the association's actions about E-bikes?

I know you're not asking me – but we here in Ireland had a recent similar thing – where these E-bikes were banned from public transport (mostly trains and trams).

The reasoning seemed to be around the proliferation of cheap Chinese battery packs that are not chemically stable and do not have good BMS control.

EVs were not considered to be in the same risk category until now. This letter from Porsche, a brand that most people would perceive as expensive and reliable, challenges that notion.

 

[FlyingPoint]

Do you support the association's actions about E-bikes?

We have two E-Bikes, but we keep them at our second residence. I really did not have much of an opinion as to supporting this decision as I was unaffected. Having said that, there have been quite few battery fires in NYC that resulted in fatalities in multi family units. I understand the concern of those who are responsible for life and safety issues in multi dwelling buildings.

A quick search has yielded the following per ChatGPT:

"In the past two years, New York City has experienced a significant number of fires attributed to lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and similar devices. In 2023, there were 268 such incidents, resulting in 150 injuries and 18 fatalities.
NYC.gov
In 2024, while the total number of e-bike battery fires remained comparable, the number of deaths decreased notably. As of July 29, 2024, there had been 134 battery fires, causing one death and 55 injuries.
Goth"

 

[whitex]

I know you're not asking me – but we here in Ireland had a recent similar thing – where these E-bikes were banned from public transport (mostly trains and trams).

The reasoning seemed to be around the proliferation of cheap Chinese battery packs that are not chemically stable and do not have good BMS control.

EVs were not considered to be in the same risk category until now. This letter from Porsche, a brand that most people would perceive as expensive and reliable, challenges that notion.

Did you guys have the old Chevy Bolts? Were those banned after owners received similar recall letters?

 

[tigerbalm]

Did you guys have the old Chevy Bolts? Were those banned after owners received similar recall letters?

Nope. Nissan Leaf's were the closet at the time.

 

[satchurator]

It's notable that the parking and covered charging advice (apparently) only appeared in the UK comms. That suggests there was some UK-specific liability/regulatory issue that Porsche UK needed to CYA on, OR: some Porsche UK PR comms person is getting fired soon.

 

[chun]

It's notable that the parking and covered charging advice (apparently) only appeared in the UK comms. That suggests there was some UK-specific liability/regulatory issue that Porsche UK needed to CYA on, OR: some Porsche UK PR comms person is getting fired soon.

Not true. Switzerland and France, and by implication of France, the whole EU, also received the same recommendation to not park near or in buildings

 

[satchurator]

Not true. Switzerland and France, and by implication of France, the whole EU, also received the same recommendation to not park near or in buildings

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[whitex]

Nope. Nissan Leaf's were the closet at the time.

I have some friends and family in EU, and I remember hearing a couple of years back that they were unable to take a ferry somewhere because of the fire risk of their car being an EV. Can’t remember which EV it was (or even exactly who it was), I just remember thinking it might have been the fallout from Bolts (even though the EV is question was not a Bolt). In the US, there were places where Bolts were banned, including parking structures. Then there was a whole mess on how to prove your Bolt had the fix or not, so some places just banned all Bolts, etc, etc.

 

[Jasper4S]

Are etron owners receiving the same letter + recall?

I did not receive the letter or any other notice myself for my MY23 Taycan

 

[f1eng]

A number of Porsche Taycan owners have received a letter from the German brand urging them to avoid charging their car in a certain place to prevent fires.

However, some owners have recently noted that they have received a letter from the company warning them of a recall to fix a problem with high-voltage battery modules.

Posting the letter to the Taycan Forum, the company advised owners to avoid charging their car whilst it is parked adjacent to a building or inside their garage until the problem is fixed.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-styl...-taycan-electric-vehicle-recall-warning-fires

Mind you I wouldn't even use the Express to light my fire in case my chimney leaned so far to the right it collapsed

 

[Scandinavian]

Not true. Switzerland and France, and by implication of France, the whole EU, also received the same recommendation to not park near or in buildings

Not fully aligned with my letter though!

I have the recall letter and the car will go in today for brakes, this recall plus some other updates to the PCM as well as charging problem investigation.

My recall letter ARB6 campaigne, only refers to the advice to charge to 80%! No mentioning of not charging close to buildings or in closed environments etc.

Perhaps there are slightly different letters sent out depending on VIN, but I doubt that. I had also reflected on the fact that I mostly heard from the UK about buildings and garages?? Could it be due to different legal systems?

I will ask the service guys about it today.

 

[f1eng]

We have two E-Bikes, but we keep them at our second residence. I really did not have much of an opinion as to supporting this decision as I was unaffected. Having said that, there have been quite few battery fires in NYC that resulted in fatalities in multi family units. I understand the concern of those who are responsible for life and safety issues in multi dwelling buildings.

A quick search has yielded the following per ChatGPT:

"In the past two years, New York City has experienced a significant number of fires attributed to lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and similar devices. In 2023, there were 268 such incidents, resulting in 150 injuries and 18 fatalities.
NYC.gov
In 2024, while the total number of e-bike battery fires remained comparable, the number of deaths decreased notably. As of July 29, 2024, there had been 134 battery fires, causing one death and 55 injuries.
Goth"

About 15 years ago whilst discussing less expensive batteries for my Leica digital camera with a friend who is also a Leica user and an A&E doctor in Hong Kong he advised against.
He said badly made cheap replacement phone batteries were burning a lot of people and they were coming to hospital with horrific damage to hands.
I fear a lot of cheap batteries are not safely made and this is a big problem in the replacement market since they are tempting at often a tiny fraction of the OEM price..

 

[satchurator]

Are etron owners receiving the same letter + recall?

I did not receive the letter or any other notice myself for my MY23 Taycan

My wife's Q4 ETron had a recall last year where service had to bring the car in, and perform an analysis to determine if any modules needed replacing. AFAIR There was no mention of fire risk as the motivation.

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