LETTER: Time to address lithium battery fires
Following the July lithium-ion battery fire that shut down Interstate 15 for 43 hours, Rep. Dina Titus has introduced legislation to strengthen federal regulations regarding the transport of same (“Battery fire that shut I-15 in focus,” Friday). Included in these proposed regulations are requirements that the maximum battery charge be limited to 30 percent during transport of these batteries.
Funny, electric vehicles are transporting these lithium-ion batteries every time they go somewhere. Let’s limit their charge to 30 percent, just to be safe.
I applaud her efforts to find solutions for the problems that Congress created in the first place. Rather than addressing root causes, such as mandates for EVs that will require massive quantities of these dangerous lithium-ion batteries, those solutions always seem to require the creation of many more costly regulations that we consumers have to pay for.
Refer to the rule of unintended consequences for further info.