{"id":338407,"date":"2024-08-03T15:17:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T13:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338407"},"modified":"2024-08-03T15:17:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T13:17:39","slug":"i-15-battery-fire-is-symbolic-of-the-green-energy-pipe-dream-going-up-in-smoke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338407","title":{"rendered":"I-15 Battery Fire Is Symbolic of the Green Energy Pipe Dream Going Up in Smoke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: On Friday, July 26 a long-haul truck carrying lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and for electric power battery back-up facilities overturned on Interstate Highway 15 (I-15) between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The truck caught fire and forced the closure of first one lane, and then eventually the entire highway. As described by various media outlets, such as <\/em>KVVU-5 Las Vegas<\/em><\/a> and the <\/em>Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/a>, the accident caused a massive traffic jam, closing the highway from Friday through Monday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean, I\u2019ve never seen anything quite like it,\u201d Benjamin Leffel, an associate professor of public policy at UNLV, told KVVU-5 News. \u201cMany have called it the worst traffic jam of their lifetime. I have to agree.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique dangers and nature of the lithium ion battery fire, firefighters were unable to put out the fire, and eventually were forced to push the truck 100 feet off the road and into the surrounding desert, where they then constructed a berm around it. As the <\/em>Review-Journal pointed out, \u201c[f]ires involving lithium batteries are particularly hazardous because they produce chemicals and toxic gases, which made it essential to handle the situation with extreme caution \u2026.\u201d As a result, the Hazmat team called in said the fire would be allowed to burn itself out, and provided no timeline for when they expected it to be extinguished.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, guest writer, Charles Rotter, discusses the broader lessons this incidence suggests about the dangers posed by the wider adoption of green technology.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once upon a time in the magical land of California, a truck carrying the very essence of green dreams \u2013 lithium-ion batteries \u2013 decided to take a nap on the side of I-15. This wasn\u2019t just any ordinary nap, mind you; it was a fiery, apocalyptic slumber that would go down in the annals of transportation history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, let\u2019s not forget that lithium-ion batteries are the darlings of the green movement. They\u2019re supposed to be the answer to all our energy woes, powering everything from our electric cars to our smartphones. But, as the saying goes, \u201cwith great power comes great responsibility,\u201d and in this case, the responsibility to not spontaneously combust on a major highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lithium battery fire between Barstow and Baker, I-15 NB. All traffic has been stopped for at least six hours. Fire still burning. pic.twitter.com\/ZtUmhQHNvB<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Linda Weber (@LAGreyhound) July 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As the truck\u2019s cargo decided to go full-on barbecue, the brave firefighters of San Bernardino County rushed to the scene, only to find themselves scratching their heads. You see, lithium-ion fires are a bit like that one friend who refuses to leave the party; they just keep going and going and going. Water is out of the question, as it only makes things worse. So, the firefighters had to stand back and watch the spectacle unfold, hoping that the batteries would eventually burn themselves out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the poor souls who found themselves stuck on I-15 were left to ponder the irony of it all. Here they were, trying to do their part for the environment by not driving gas-guzzling SUVs, only to be trapped in a traffic apocalypse from hell, courtesy of the very technology that was supposed to save us from ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Lithium Battery Fire Sparks Traffic Mayhem Across\u00a0California Desert\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/t.co\/2cfiYdAEnl<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The situation was so dire that some motorists were forced to spend the night in their cars, dreaming of the days when a simple gas-powered engine could get them from point A to point B without the risk of spontaneous combustion. It\u2019s almost as if Mother Nature herself was sending a message: \u201cYou want green? I\u2019ll give you green\u2026 the color of a fire truck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UPDATE: Motorists are stranded on I-15 tonight after a truck carrying lithium ion batteries overturned and caught fire this morning near Baker, Calif. I-15 northbound to Las Vegas is still closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0#RJNow<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/tDTefKPyjZ<\/a>\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/elgi8RVH07<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) July 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the end, after 44 hours of chaos and confusion, the northbound lanes of I-15 were finally reopened. The charred remains of the lithium-ion batteries were a stark reminder that, while the road to a greener future is paved with good intentions, it\u2019s also littered with the smoldering remnants of our best-laid plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the next time you\u2019re stuck in traffic, dreaming of a world powered by clean, renewable energy, just remember: it\u2019s not easy being green. And maybe, just maybe, we should take a step back and reevaluate our priorities before we put all our eggs in one lithium-ion basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Friday, July 26 a long-haul truck carrying lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and for electric power battery back-up facilities overturned on Interstate Highway 15 (I-15) between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The truck caught fire and forced the closure of first one lane, and then eventually the entire highway. As described by various media outlets, such as KVVU-5 Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the accident caused a massive traffic jam, closing the highway from Friday through Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":338408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829970,691829968,691829969],"class_list":{"0":"post-338407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-battery-fire","9":"tag-interstate-highway-15-i-15","10":"tag-lithium-ion-batteries-2","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/00liithium-truck-fire-I-15.webp?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1q2b","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":338009,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338009","url_meta":{"origin":338407,"position":0},"title":"When Green Dreams Go Up in Smoke: The Great Lithium Truck Fiasco of I-15","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/07\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In the end, after 44 hours of chaos and confusion, the northbound lanes of I-15 were finally reopened. The charred remains of the lithium-ion batteries were a stark reminder that, while the road to a greener future is paved with good intentions, it\u2019s also littered with the smoldering remnants of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Screenshot-2024-07-30-122248.png?fit=1189%2C746&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Screenshot-2024-07-30-122248.png?fit=1189%2C746&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Screenshot-2024-07-30-122248.png?fit=1189%2C746&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Screenshot-2024-07-30-122248.png?fit=1189%2C746&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Screenshot-2024-07-30-122248.png?fit=1189%2C746&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349515,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=349515","url_meta":{"origin":338407,"position":1},"title":"Energy is the future, bring a fire extinguisher","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Alternative energy is exploding\u2500literally. Lithium battery fires are breaking out on highways and in factories, home garages, and storage rooms. The rise in battery fires is amplified by government efforts to force adoption of electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries for electric power. Lithium batteries have high energy density, making them\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Li-Ion-Danger-shutterstock_1577310307-scaled-2-1017x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Li-Ion-Danger-shutterstock_1577310307-scaled-2-1017x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Li-Ion-Danger-shutterstock_1577310307-scaled-2-1017x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Li-Ion-Danger-shutterstock_1577310307-scaled-2-1017x1024.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349131,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=349131","url_meta":{"origin":338407,"position":2},"title":"If Green Energy is the Future, Bring a Fire Extinguisher","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Alternative energy is exploding\u2500literally. 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The rise in battery fires is amplified by government efforts to force adoption of electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries for electric power.","rel":"","context":"In \"battery fires\"","block_context":{"text":"battery fires","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=battery-fires"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Screenshot-2024-10-27-142306.png?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Screenshot-2024-10-27-142306.png?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Screenshot-2024-10-27-142306.png?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Screenshot-2024-10-27-142306.png?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Screenshot-2024-10-27-142306.png?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":383104,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=383104","url_meta":{"origin":338407,"position":3},"title":"Cargo Ship With Electric Vehicles Burning is Abandoned in Pacific Ocean","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There is another example to add to the collection of incidents related to lithium batteries. 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