My VW ID 4 caught fire at Electrify America charging station in Ojai last weekend (November 5, 2023) Immediately after charging began there was a large ball of flame and then tail of flame and smoke. The charger stopped the charge and I waited a while before trying to disconnect. EA charger was welded to my charger port and would not release. We called EA and opened a case and asked for help. We walked home and spent the next few hours requesting technical response. It took five hours for EA technician to arrive and disconnect vehicle. We had car towed to dealer. Charger port is visibly fried and we are not sure what the extent of internal damage to vehicle is. VW is going back and forth with EA and we do not have any updates. Dealer says they have no previous experience with this type of accident and are not sure what extent of damage could be. Has anyone had similar experience? There is not a lot of info out there on this.
Glad nobody was hurt considering the explosion, I guess towing was more of a shovel and bucket job?
The tendency of EVs seemingly burning alive by the most “reputable” charging station network outside of superchargers is concerning. I know gas cars can blow up too but I’m not gonna go to put gas in my Audi and have it burst into flames at no fault of my own. I feel bad for affected owners, that just sucks and they need to fix it like asap.
I’m not sure I’d call 6 or 7 documented incidents a “tendency”. EA delivered nearly 7 million charging sessions in the last two years, making something like this literally a “one in a million” chance. I’m pretty comfortable with those odds.
If it happens to you or me, sure, it sucks to be us, but between the car warranty, comprehensive insurance, and (if necessary!) VW and EA’s “deep pockets” (in the “ambulance chasing attorney” sense) we’ll all be fine.
As to EV’s “burning alive”, all of these stories have been melted charge ports/wiring and a blown HV fuse link in the car to prevent the car from operating in a potentially dangerous state. No cars have really “burned” in any of these incidents.
But this particular story is a wee bit fishy given the specifics, (date and location) and nothing mentioned on PlugShare and the station is currently in full operation (all chargers online) today. Any investigation and/or repair on EA’s part would take longer to happen before the station reopened.
And let’s not forget to mention the OP is a Redditor of nearly two weeks, with two posts to their name. This one, and an 11 day old “me too” reply to an 8 month old “EA blew up my car” post.
It’s be pissed if my car was damaged by an EA station, but I’m not sure if my first response would be to create a Reddit account and broadcast my cautionary tale to the world exactly twice, with no follow ups. 🤷♂️
Don’t believe without photos
You’re telling me
That you have no proof
In the year 2023 going 2024
Hi big oil! Nice of you to post your fanfic!
Where is the fire department in this case? There is no way a dealership will take a fried electric car. It’s a total loss on the spot…
We got no food, we got no job, our EVs are exploding, our pets’ heads are falling off!
While rare, this has happened to other EV brands. I think I’ve seen posts of 3 or 4.
No pictures
OP doesn’t call fire department immediately
Electrify America didn’t immediately call a fire department
Look at the Ojai location on PlugShare and EA app, both show no issues.
This is a bullshit claim
You’re going to base your determination on the reliability of EA’s charger availability app?
Lol this is so fake.
Source: I used to work for EA
This didn’t happen. There’s just so many issues with the story and I can tell you anyone who would have taken that call would have told your ass that apparently didn’t call 911 to do so. The full station would be offline currently as well. I’ll never understand people like this. I get it you don’t like EA but fear mongering isn’t the way.
Cool story bro
Has this not happened before several times, including a famous Rivian example?
Exploding is a bit different than catching fire.
To the typical person, what a stupid pedantry.
My VW id4 exploded
No, it didn’t. EV’s don’t explode.
Sensationalism doesn’t help your credibility.
No photos. Site is still online and 11 day old account
Lol that they still do this year after year is what amazes me.
I had a BTC Unit literally explode while I was on the charger.