Aussie owners of electric cars have been reminded of the dangers lithium batteries pose after a crash after a woman became trapped in her Tesla.
Emergency services were called to Chapel Lane in Crestwood, in Sydney‘s north-west, following reports of a multi-vehicle crash on Tuesday.
Shock photos shared to The Hills Police Area Command’s Facebook page showed how the white Tesla had mounted the bonnet of a parked blue Holden.
The force of the crash had rammed the Holden into a third car – a black Mercedes – with the Tesla’s left-side wheels left resting on the parked car.
Emergency services worked to free the Tesla driver, a 48-year-old woman, who wasn’t injured in the crash.
‘Unfortunately recovery operations for EVs take a long time due to risk of fire to the batteries,’ police said.
Lithium-ion batteries are found in electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes.
The batteries are susceptible to uncontrolled thermal runaway events, which occur when the battery temperature increases faster than the energy dispersed to its surroundings.
The white Tesla mounted the bonnet of a parked blue Holden in the crash (pictured)
The force of the crash had rammed the Holden into a third car – a black Mercedes (pictured)
The high temperature causes the battery to decompose, creating more heat and ultimately leading to an explosion of flammable gas.
While lithium-ion batteries rarely catch fire, they can be extremely dangerous when they do ignite.
The EV Fire Safe website explained the batteries release toxic and flammable gasses when on fire which can cause them to explode.
The toxic fumes can also cause breathing difficulties, making it difficult for emergency crews to put the fire out.
It comes after firefighters recorded a spate of fires in recent months sparked by lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion battery-related fires are the fastest-growing type of fires in NSW, with one every four days this year, according to state government data.
Police decided not to take any further action after investigations into the crash.
Emergency services launched a lengthy recovery operation to free the Tesla driver
