There are more new images of the Fremantle Highway wreck showing the extensive damage – Photo: RTL Nieuws
The fact that a Fremantle Highway car transport train caught fire on 26 July was notable not only because of the heavy damage, but also because the train contained trams and was possibly related to the fire.
Was the electric car the cause of the fire? Or at least made the fire more severe than normal? These are questions that still await clarification from investigators.
“Diagnosis” from the pictures.
Meanwhile, the latest images are broadcast by Dutch television rtl news And this interesting transport ship fire post posted on the X (Twitter) account of German politician Andreas Mrosek has revealed some information about the fire.
Photos show that the ship was badly damaged. Many places were burnt to ashes. Many vehicles have turned into coal. Hence, it is difficult to identify which cars are in the picture, of which brand.
However, self development Saw a car that looks somewhat like a Porsche Taycan electric car, another looks like a Mini Clubman.
The cars were almost completely burnt, so it was difficult to identify. Song AutoEvolution believes what is in the far left corner of the photo to be the Porsche Taycan – Photo: RTL Nieuws/AutoEvolution
Fremantle Highway has 12 decks. The fire is believed to have started on deck 8, which badly affected decks 6 to 11. According to SMIT Salvage Rescue, Deck 5 was empty. This might explain why decks 1 to 4 are safe.
There is no information confirming on which deck the tram is located. It is reported that the trams are concentrated on one deck. combined with the comment of self development On the Taycan (if accurate) shows that the tram compartment is on fire.
Did electric cars contribute to the massive fires?
At present, it is only suspected that electric cars cause fires. Some argue that even if it is not the “culprit”, electric vehicles also make fires particularly serious and cannot be controlled as usual.
Peter Burdowski, CEO of rescue company Boskalis, told reporters that some “vehicles were charged at high voltage, which is extremely dangerous”. This is because an electric vehicle battery does not require oxygen to ignite, but rather comes from a chemical reaction inside the battery.
That’s why they have to wait for engineers from Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW to determine what can be done with these cars.
Even the best of cars get ruined by seawater extinguishing. They must determine whether it is safe to open the ramp to unload the vehicle.
The fire was so severe that it affected the structure of the deck, so it was not easy to destroy – Photo: RTL Nieuws
The fire was so severe that it partially melted the metal, allowing the vehicle’s frame to stick to the ship’s structure. This also explains why the sailors had to jump into the sea instead of trying to extinguish the fire. Some decks were so badly damaged that they could collapse at any moment. Therefore, the rescue and dismantling team must be very careful.
Whether or not the electric vehicle will catch fire is still unknown. But in the meantime, the Fremantle Highway taught at least one early lesson: leaving at least one deck empty is a good way to prevent a fire from spreading, especially when transporting trams.
As a result, if a fire starts on the deck of a tram, it is possible to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas. In contrast, if a fire breaks out on the deck of a petrol car, at least the battery of the electric vehicle will not ignite and then the fire will not get out of control due to heat loss phenomenon.
Estimated damage to date is around 300 million Euros (327.1 million USD) – Photo: RTL Nieuws
The problem is that the trams are very heavy, so they have to be placed on the lower deck to ensure balance. Therefore, it will be necessary to carefully consider the transport of electric vehicles.
(tagstotranslate)tram
