FYI-
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-04-hybrid-cars_x.htm

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Just wait until the batteries start getting old, they'll overheat and explode!
Check out how much damage a little laptop Li-ion battery can do....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pizFsY0yjss&NR

__________________
Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

That story is almost 4 years old! Look at the date. I think that issue is by now old news to most rescue personnel. I have never heard of anyone being electrocuted yet. The batteries in hybrids are pretty wimpy actually. That is why they can't go very far on their battery only. That big 100# battery in the Prius actually has slightly less WHr than a SINGLE golf cart battery. The big issue is the voltage. Yes it is much higher than the 12V. But it is not insanely high. As I recall it is around 165 VDC which is similar to the peak voltage of 115 VAC. I am not saying I want to get zapped by it but there are a lot of other dangers on cars to be learned such as air bags and all that gasoline (1 gal has more energy content than a stick of Dynamite). That is why those rescue people get a lot of training.

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

I think Mistress is merely catching up on her New Years resolution to read the entire internet . . .

Seems to me, the lesson there is: Don't force your laptop battery into an unstable state.

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

288VDC @ 4 amps can be quite lethal... Far from wimpy.

__________________
Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

The reason he shorted the battery was to capture a failure on video. Stuff like this just happens from normal use though... I'll be the first to give the hybrid car manufacturers some credit for installing failsafe relays on each cell however, if one cell shorts and explodes the whole battery will go up in smoke. What they should do is separate each cell in an explosion proof shell but that would be at a cost of weight, space and money.

__________________
Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Sorry – I was just being an ass. From his intro, I was thinking: “Well, we have a Citation X that carries nearly 13K lbs. of Jet-A. If I force the aircraft into an "unstable state", you should see what can happen when that amount of fuel hits the ground.”
But I’m sure as hell not going to make a video of it.

Seems to me you could do that with most any battery. Half the stuff in the common home can kill you, if you want it to. But you don’t see anyone rewiring their vacuum cleaner to make a point of it.


I’m sure that’s why he did (forced) it. For video purposes.

Question is: How often does that really happen in real life situations?
I do recall hearing of some lap-top battery recalls some time back. So I guess there was/is an issue with them. Nice to see what really can happen when one does goes bad. Thanks for the video. I would immagine fom the initial smell, folks would be far away from it long before that all happens.

Sure hate to see that go off in an aircraft at FL450 !!

My hats off to the manufacturers as well.

So, do you think the cars need some sort of battery temp sensor that turns on a light on the dash that says: “Get out ! She’s gonna blow!” ?? I wouldn’t mind one, if I had one of those Hybrids.

We do have battery over temp indicators in some of the aircraft.
It’s the “Get out ! She’s gonna blow !” part that is often hard to accomplish.

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

I wouldn't mind a sensor that says: "Stay here, She's gonna blow!"

For now, I find electric cars revolting

__________________
It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Cars were pretty dangerous when they were first invented too.

__________________
1984 300TD

I took some courses on hybrid cars for mechanic stuff.

We have to wear 1000v gloves with leather gloves over those whenever dismantling the battery system.

You also need somebody next to you with a big hook thing in case you screw up and they need to drag away your burnt corpse.