35 firefighters needed to put out electric car fire

After 35 firefighters took 2 hours to tame an electric car fire in Austria, questions now need to be asked about the safety of electric vehicles. Yesterday The Sun reported the true extent as to how difficult it is to put out a fire in a vehicle powered by a lithium ion battery. The Tesla S caught fire after crashing into a concrete barrier. Among the problems that firefighters were facing was the risk of electrocution, poisonous gases and fire re-ignition. To quell the flames firefighters had to cut through the power source with a circular saw to prevent the fire re-igniting, some of the gases given off from the burning battery were Sulphuric Acid, Lithium, Nickel, Copper and Cobalt. Emergency service workers had to wear specialist breathing apparatus, copious amounts of water were required to put the flames out. Tesla suggest quarantining the vehicle for 48 hours to prevent further fires breaking out. This therefore begs the question: Are we trying to run before we can walk where the electric vehicle and safety is concerned and should there be a re-evaluation as to whether electric taxis should be rolled out en-masse given the role they have to play within the public transport network?