Flooded golf carts pose fire risk after stormsIf you own a golf cart and you dealt with flooding from recent storms, you could be dealing with a fire hazard.According to an article by a professor at the University of South Carolina, salt water and some golf cart batteries can be a dangerous combination.According to the report, golf carts that use lithium-ion batteries can be a serious fire risk when exposed to salt water. The water is conductive and can cause short circuits inside the battery pack."Under normal operating conditions, the probability of a lithium-ion cell going into thermal runaway is less than 1 in 10 million," an article written by USC professor Xinyu Huang said. "But it increases sharply if the cell is subjected to electrical, thermal or mechanical stress, such as short-circuiting, overheating or puncture."Saltwater is a particular problem for batteries because salt dissolved in water is conductive, which means that electric current readily flows through it. Pure water is not very conductive, but the electrical conductivity of seawater can be more than a thousand times higher than that of fresh water."This is only a concern if your golf cart and battery were impacted by flooding.Typically, ocean air and salt spray won't cause the fire. But if the battery was submerged during the storm or if it had significant contact with saltwater, you shouldn't start the golf cart or charge the battery before getting it inspected.This is a bigger problem for carts with lithium-ion batteries. The older, lead-acid batteries do not carry the same risk, although the saltwater can damage the battery.While fire is a great concern, it doesn't mean golf carts, and golf cart batteries, are dangerous."Electric cars are still very safe to drive and own in most circumstances," Xinyu Huang wrote. "However, during extreme situations like hurricanes and flooding, it is very important to keep EV battery packs from becoming submerged in water, particularly saltwater. The same is true for other products that contain lithium-ion batteries."For EVs, this means evacuating cars out of the affected zone or parking them on high ground before flooding occurs. Smaller objects, like e-bikes and power tools, can be moved to upper floors of buildings or stored on high shelves."If you own an EV that has been submerged in water for hours to days, particularly in saltwater, public safety experts recommend treating it as a fire hazard and placing it on open ground away from other valuable property. Do not attempt to charge or operate it. Contact the manufacturer for an inspection to assess battery damage."
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