Some California lawmakers pushing back on the push for electric vehicles

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- After respective caller crashes involving electrical semi-trucks unopen down highways, stranding drivers for hours, immoderate authorities leaders are calling connected the politician to hold authorities mandates for electrical vehicles.

The lawmakers are focused connected the mandate for ample vehicles, similar semi-trucks.

The biggest interest is that responding to crashes involving lithium-ion batteries that are utilized to powerfulness galore electrical vehicles is precise antithetic from responding to crashes and that effect is thing archetypal responders are inactive developing.

For 2 days, northbound 15 Freeway lanes were unopen down betwixt Barstow and Baker successful confederate California aft an overturned semi-truck's load of lithium batteries caught fire.

Leaving drivers stranded connected a highway, without gas, a recharge, food, oregon aesculapian supplies successful triple-digit heat.

Weeks later, a conception of I-80 successful Northern California was unopen down for hours aft a Tesla semi-truck crashed and caught fire.

Josh Sellers with Fresno Fire Department said adjacent for tiny vehicles lithium-ion artillery fires astir look to combat backmost efforts to snuff them out.

"The batteries are requiring a batch much h2o to extinguish them," said Josh Sellers, Fresno Fire Department.

"Based connected the principles of that artillery we're seeing, again, crossed the state the imaginable for those batteries to reignite aft we've extinguished it."

For tiny state oregon diesel vehicles, Sellers said the fires usually lone necessitate astir 500 to 750 gallons of water.

In contrast, electrical vehicles tin instrumentality up to 5 to 10,000 gallons.

The fires tin besides necessitate Hazmat response.

Because of the melodramatic accidents and shutdown of highways successful caller months 21 lawmakers, including Assemblymember Jim Patterson from Fresno and Senator Brian Jones of San Diego, sent a missive to the Governor asking for authorities E-V mandates to beryllium delayed.

"I deliberation we ought to beryllium getting the absorption of California motorists astir the authorities and, and inquire them however they consciousness astir being stuck successful their car for a time oregon 2 days portion these, uh, conveyance fires, these motortruck fires are burning themselves out," said Jones.

In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an enforcement order requiring each caller cars and rider trucks sold successful the authorities to beryllium zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

For mean to heavy-duty trucks, it's 2045.

"If there's a program successful spot and there's a uh a program to respond to these emergencies, past great, let's determination ahead," said Jones. "But until we person that program successful place, we request to enactment a halt connected immoderate much enlargement of this technology."

The California Air Resources Board cited a survey by the International Zero Emission Vehicle Alliance that stated electrical conveyance fires were little communal than fires successful state vehicles up until 2023.

However, the survey besides said the fig of EV fires are expected to beryllium much predominant arsenic the fig of EVs connected the roads increases.

Assemblyman Patterson wasn't disposable for an interrogation connected this story.

Action News is waiting to perceive backmost from the governor's office.

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