(Hi everyone, I'm back to the EVDL after some years away. More on that later.)
That wasn't a Powerwheels, it was something else. The CBS News page that Bruce linked to says it was a "SPORTrax Awesome XL" and it cost $500. Here's an Amazon page, which appears to match the vehicle in the video: http://a.co/7DlP5v5 That leads to the manufacturer, which is Rolling Hills Trading: https://www.rollinghillstrading.com/shop/sportrax-cars Here's an assembly video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkNQiPTQsFg Note that it has a motor on each wheel and has a wireless remote control that can steer the front wheels electrically. The Amazon page also lists that it includes an MP3 player. Clearly it's got some fancy electronics in there. It's a big RC car. I wasn't able to turn up anything about the batteries besides the info that it contains two 12v batteries. The manufacturer's website no longer has that particular car listed, but it does sell parts, including batteries. They sell a 12v 10Ah battery for $20 and two 12v batteries (Ah not listed) wired in parallel for $30. Not sure if these were what was in this car, and I can't find chemistry information. The article says they were driving up a hill, which the pictures support. That'll heat things up some, which could be an ignition source. That fire doesn't look like anything to do with lead acid batteries. There was some serious fuel burning there, and I agree with Lee - it didn't look like fire-retardant plastic. Could it be lithium? What does 20Ah of lithium look like when it burns? Was the car made out of flammable plastic? Lithium or lead, this is not the sort of thing you'd expect from a properly-designed kid's toy. Did the kids fill it up with gasoline before driving, like their parents always do? > On Aug 17, 2018, at 10:12 AM, Lee Hart via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > > paul dove wrote: >> Any electrical system can burn up. All you need it to short the battery if >> there is no fuse or you bypass the fuse then the wire becomes the fuse and >> can easily catch plastic on fire > > I agree... but not like that! Something was fueling that fire. Something not > normally in a Powerwheels Jeep. > > Unless they've changed something very recently, the Powerwheels battery > already contain a fuse. There is nothing under the hood except the battery > itself. The "controller" is just a pair of switches under the central > "gearshift" lever. In back, there is a motor in each rear wheel. That's it. > > The body is plastic with a flame retardant. It can burn, but goes out if > something isn't maintaining the fire. When it burns, it melts into a gooey > mess that smoulders, turns black, bubbles, and releases lots of black smoke. > > Maybe this is some other brand? Or a cheap knock-off? > > -- > "Verschlimmbessern" (German, verb) - To make something worse by > trying to improve it. (English translation: "Microsoft"?) > -- > Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > -- Doug Weathers http://www.gdunge.com "There is no easy way from the Earth to the stars." - Seneca "We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things - not because they are easy, but because they are hard." - John F. Kennedy _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
