Utility Duke Energy too quick to point house fire blame on EVs

[brucedp]

Electric Vehicle Discussion List - Utility Duke Energy too quick to point house fire blame on EVs

Another Utility that used EVs as a scapegoat without actual facts.
We all know how good EV charging is for utility's business, can both Duke and PG&E 's PR people really be that insipid / dumb? ... Yes, yes they can.

The second item on that thread states GM is involved. It does not matter if the EVSE is not charging an EV, the media is all over this like a cheap suit that it is a serious EV issue. We (the EV community) need to post comments to those newswire URLs to correct and offset the bad EV PR that they put out.

Please consider placing a comment on the newswire URLs mentioned in the thread to offset this bad press by a deflecting / finger-pointing Utility and emotion mongering media outlet.


Urban Dictionary: all over you like a cheap suit

{brucedp.150m.com}

 

[AnOutsider]

To play devil's advocate here:

"We feel that the charging station did not contribute to the fire but we will have to ultimately wait for the fire marshal's office to decide," Paige said.

Sounds like they're just saying they're trying to be cautious while the investigation is under way.

*edit* a post further down the thread posts the actual message:

We have recently learned that firefighters in Mooresville, North Carolina, responded to a garage and house fire late on October 30. There was a plug-in electric vehicle, a charging station and a number of other items in the garage at the time of the fire. We have no reason to believe that the charging station contributed to the fire, but out of an abundance of caution, we suggest that our current pilot participants consider not using the charging station installed as part of Duke Energy’s Charge Carolinas and Project Plug IN pilots until we have additional information. We are working closely with the local fire marshal and our own experts to determine the cause of the fire and will update you as the cause becomes clearer.

So yeah, doesn't sound like they're scapegoating the stations at all. Heck, sounds like the stations are part of their OWN program, and if anything, they want to make sure they don't catch any backlash from it -- so they're being cautious.

 

[dpeilow]

On the other hand this is jumping to conclusions too quickly in the Volt's favour: Should Chevy Volt Owners Worry About Charging Fires? Utility Says Yes, Common Sense Says No 

 

[W.Petefish]

That is the very reason after the electricians left after installing my HPC that I ripped the wire out and put in heavier wire. As I said to some when I did that, I wanna make damn sure that the breaker flips before a wire even starts to fail.

 

[brucedp]

Electric Vehicle Discussion List - EVLN: Utilities state Volt didn't cause garage fire

 

[VolkerP]

"The system was charging normally even as the fire was going on," Sutton said.
"It was sending a warning: It's getting warmer, it's getting warmer."

Apparently, the EVSE still was operative as the fire emerged. But is it a safe conclusion that a EVSE that triggers a fire stops working?

 

[Lloyd]

Anyone see the power outages at the 49ers game last night? Must have been all of those EV's plugged in!!

 

[surfingslovak]

Anyone see the power outages at the 49ers game last night? Must have been all of those EV's plugged in!!

Yes, crazy. That was a major fumble.