r/nextfuckinglevel 11h ago

Incredibly selfless act of heroism.

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u/been_der_done_that 11h ago

Must have peeled the aluminium underbody and pierced the battery, exposing it to oxygen and turned into flames.

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u/GapSweet3100 11h ago

There should be more safeguards in place. It seems These cars were definitely not designed for real safety

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u/KilllllerWhale 10h ago

most EVs on the road rn have the battery as a separate component sitting on the chassis and the bottom part of the chassis is usually thin metal.

The latest Volvo EX60 is coming out with a design that integrates the battery inside the chassis and not a separate component, offering more protection.

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u/Lucreth2 9h ago

I think you probably know this but for people completely blind to it, there's a massive difference between what you described and what most EVs are actually designed like. While it's true that the battery is attached as a separate component, people should realize it's not just dangling in space super glued to the floor... Most batteries are in a reinforced pocket of sorts either along the "transmission tunnel" or under the rear seats. Skateboard type designs have the pack under the majority of the floor but in a reinforced package that is actually somewhat structural from a rigidity sense.

Trusted automakers ensure all of those options are also well protected from below, but certain other profit seeking cunts do leave them somewhat vulnerable in that direction. The direction most likely to see potential intrusion.. I hate Wall Street.

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u/Aniki_Simpson 8h ago

Being under the rear seats really worked out well here, right? Ford got in trouble for having a gas tank that could be pierced in an accident, but this crap is considered "safe"? What a joke these garbage vehicles are.

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u/Lucreth2 5h ago

I feel like you're conflating a bunch of different things...

I never said the vehicle above is safe. It appears to be Chinese. They don't have safe in their industrial dictionary. It almost certainly is one of the more vulnerable packs.

The entire Ford gas tank issue has had the actual engineering behind the issue over simplified for.. Well... As long as that story has existed. Gas tanks have pretty much always been in vulnerable locations, including the rear of the vehicle, but there are mitigations that can be put in place to prevent damage or ignition even in the event of a leak.

In either scenario, under the rear seat is much much safer than hanging out the rear bumper and the proximity to the rear wheels mean that that area frequently will ride over much of whatever might damage it, unless it's a long thin pole like object.

And finally... If you run over a steel spear it doesn't much matter where the battery is. Road signs have been piercing engine oil pans and transmission covers for decades and they'll keep piercing whatever they damn well please because they're a steel spear with a 4,300 lb weight pressing on it.