Two firefighters die while fighting fire on New Jersey ship
One AmericaJUL 2023
The Spin
Narrative A
Vehicles that use lithium-ion batteries pose a significant fire risk to cargo ships, compromising the safety of those onboard with the hazards of explosion, toxic gases, and thermal runaway. Unless the ship systems and its crew are able to handle that risk, transporting such cars poses an extraordinary risk.
Narrative B
While tragic fires onboard car-carrying vessels are frequent, such incidents only hit the headlines when involving electric vehicles. While there are obvious risks when transporting electric vehicles on ships, a recent study has concluded that the risk is about the same as conventional automobiles.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that at least 73.6% of US car sales will be all-electric in 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
