Officials from Westport, Connecticut say that the huge battery fire that decimated an electric CTtransit bus did not stop the town’s efforts to increase its fleet of electric vehicles.
CT Insider reports that Westport, Connecticut has the most electric vehicles per capita. There were 890 electric cars registered in Westport by 2021. Officials say that the town is continuing to transition its fleet to electric vehicles despite the recent CTtransit fire of an electric bus.
Breitbart News reported that one of the state’s electric buses caught fire in July, just one day after officials had promoted passage of Connecticut Clean Air Act. Two workers and a firefighter were sent to the hospital after the CTtransit bus caught fire in a Hamden parking garage on Saturday morning.
Hamden fire officials stated that lithium ion battery fires were difficult to extinguish because of the thermal chemical process that generates great heat and constantly reignites. Two transit workers were taken to hospital as precaution after being exposed to smoke, while a firefighter was admitted for heat exhaustion.
Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, some Republicans are calling for a moratorium to the switch from diesel buses to electric ones. Jennifer Tooker, First Selectwoman, stated: “We continue prioritize electrifying the fleet of our town where it makes sense.”
While the cause of the fire was investigated, the electric bus fleet was replaced by reliable and traditional diesel buses.
According to Charles Sampson, Westport’s police department has five hybrid vehicles as well as two electric Teslas. A 2022 Tesla is also planned for the department’s patrol. Sampson stated that electric vehicles would soon be the norm in most of our fleet.
