Hybrid fires: Risks beyond battery size

A transportation risk mitigation expert has explained in an interview with Autoblog why hybrids can present more complicated fire risks that people haven't thought about. William S. Lerner , a consultant for lithium-ion battery and hydrogen technology safety in transportation, conceded that since hybrid batteries are smaller, they present a lower fire risk because the state of charge matters. Still, Lerner clarified a key difference between mild hybrids and their plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) counterparts.

"Once you get into a plug-in hybrid, what you're doing is you're adding an electrical current from the charger to the vehicle. There's roughly a 20-30% chance that something is going to happen when the vehicle is plugged in either on the ch

See Full Page