With the Biden administration so hellbent on getting — or, perhaps more accurately, forcing — Americans to make the switch from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, it’s understandable that media outlets would want to start writing more about EVs.
So that’s what Vox is doing today with a story about electric vehicle fires, which pose new challenges for fire departments:
Although they’re relatively rare, electric car fires present a new technical and safety challenge for fire departments.
As many as half of the 1.2 million firefighters in the US might not be currently trained to combat EV fires, according to the NFPA. https://t.co/QD9BsdYiKo
— Vox (@voxdotcom) January 27, 2023
If the White House has its way, electric vehicles will go mainstream over the coming decade.
Here’s how EV fires — and misinformation about them — could stand in the way of that goal. https://t.co/SCKvPlnIT3
— Vox (@voxdotcom) January 27, 2023
OK, so in all honesty, on its face, Vox’s article seems like it could actually be of some value to readers:
Although they’re relatively rare, electric car fires present a new technical and safety challenge for fire departments. These fires burn at much higher temperatures and require a lot more water to fight than conventional car fires. There also isn’t an established consensus on the best firefighting strategies for EVs, experts told Vox. Instead, there’s a hodgepodge of guidance shared among fire departments, associations that advise firefighters, and automakers. As many as half of the 1.2 million firefighters in the US might not be currently trained to combat EV fires, according to the NFPA.
“The Fire Service has had 100 years to train and to understand how to deal with internal combustion engine fires,” remarked Andrew Klock of the NFPA, which offers EV classes for firefighters. “With electric vehicles, they don’t have as much training and knowledge. They really need to be trained.”
Sounds like stuff the public would want to know about.
But let’s take a look at the headline:
And notice the art in Vox’s tweets above: A giant Elon Musk gazing out at the sky and squinting his eyes while a Tesla is engulfed in flames. What exactly are you getting at, Vox?
Why headline this "Why Teslas keep catching on fire" when this* is your subhed and the article says this**?
*"EVs catch fire far less often than gas-powered cars…"
**"…Tesla’s reported numbers are far lower than the rate for highway fires overall…"https://t.co/4Y6iBIcpTp pic.twitter.com/VH8J9NRVU8
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) January 27, 2023
The Austin crash led to a lot of headlines, but EV fires are relatively rare. Smith said his department has seen just a handful of EV fires. While the US government doesn’t track the number of EV fires, specifically, Tesla’s reported numbers are far lower than the rate for highway fires overall, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) told Vox. The overwhelming majority of car fires are caused by traditional internal combustion vehicles. (This makes sense,in part because these vehicles carry highly flammable liquids like gasoline in their tanks, and, as their name implies, their engines work by igniting that fuel.)
So basically, Vox’s article is particularly concerned with Tesla fires, despite the fact that “EV fires are relatively rare” and reported instances of Teslas catching fire are relatively low. If Vox is so worried about misinformation surrounding electric vehicle fires, then why go with a fearmongering and disingenuous headline like “Why Teslas keep catching on fire”?
Super misleading title about @Tesla 😤
— Johannez (@jogannez) January 27, 2023
Jesus pick a lane…
You state its rare then the article title indicates that its happening all the time. So which is it?
— Nagleess (@Nagleess) January 27, 2023
You’re contributing to fear of EV fires, when your article actually states that they are rare compared to gasoline powered vehicle fires. Nice going, capturing the outrage of your readers over misinformation.
— gasping for breath (@morey000) January 27, 2023
Does Vox care more about informing their readers or about inflaming animosity toward Elon Musk?
cc:@elonmusk ⬆️⬆️⬆️
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) January 27, 2023
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