Smoking R1S

[salmontag]

I was parked last night, about 10 minutes in the parking lot, about to go camping. I hear this crazy metallic crash noise followed by a hissing air decompressing sound. I go to the back of the car, see brown smoke spewing out the back. It smells like gunpowder. Head to the front of the car, now getting a critical battery error (DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER). Got on the phone with roadside assistance, they tell me to move away. I hurried to clear everything out of the car (had a bunch of mini-stove propanes) and all my camping gear. The car slowly died, assuming that the 12V lost power and was disconnected from the main.

It then took FOUR HOURS for roadside to get me a tow truck, mind you I'm 20 minutes from a service center in a relatively urban area just outside Salt Lake so really weird.

Eventually nothing worked. The tow truck dragged it onto it's bed and now at service center. I'll return and report. Kinda scary though? Like what if that had happened while driving with my kids in the car?

Some notes for reference: Had the R1S for about a year, over 20k miles already, had a few minor issues already resolved (passenger airbag sensor, a few weird software issues, cosmetic stuff).

2023 R1S Quad Motor

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[Dark-Fx]

Pyro fuse is in the dash.

 

[salmontag]

Pyro fuse is in the dash.

Then something more fun I guess.

 

[Zoidz]

Like what if that had happened while driving with my kids in the car?

The same thing as if you blew a coolant hose an ICE car while driving. Pull over to the side of the road.

 

[Trandall]

@salmontag Yikes, sorry to hear that. What is the age and configuration of R1S? No previous indications of trouble? Pleas keep us updated with what's discovered.

 

[salmontag]

The same thing as if you blew a coolant hose an ICE car while driving. Pull over to the side of the road.

@salmontag Yikes, sorry to hear that. What is the age and configuration of R1S? No previous indications of trouble? Pleas keep us updated with what's discovered.

Sorry added to original, 2023 R1S Quad-Motor Adventure.

No other warnings up to this point.

 

[MATTELSEWHERE]

FWIW my friend just bought a 2025 R1S on the 17th and it bricked 22 hours into ownership and is now getting a new battery. Maybe there is a run of bad batteries out there? There’s another report of one catching fire that was just posted as well.

 

[Rivdog]

The same thing as if you blew a coolant hose an ICE car while driving. Pull over to the side of the road.

Yeah, but blowing a radiator on an ICE car is a much different experience than what OP described. I’d be pretty freaked out too if I heard that and saw brown smoke start coming out of a vehicle that should never, ever smoke.

 

[Electron]

Yeah, but blowing a radiator on an ICE car is a much different experience than what OP described. I’d be pretty freaked out too if I heard that and saw brown smoke start coming out of a vehicle that should never, ever smoke.

I agree and was confused by that statement as well. I guess he doesn't realize that a radiator issue is peanuts vs a uber hot burning battery fire. No one in their right minds would want their kids near any potential fires in an EV, let alone yourself as the driver. EV battery fires are nasty. They burn very hot, quick and it can't be put out as fast like you can with other type of fires.

 

[Zoidz]

I agree and was confused by that statement as well. I guess he doesn't realize that a radiator issue is peanuts vs a uber hot burning battery fire. No one in their right minds would want their kids near any potential fires in an EV, let alone yourself as the driver. EV battery fires are nasty. They burn very hot, quick and it can't be put out as fast like you can with other type of fires.

LOL, I realize the difference.

OP stated "Like what if that had happened while driving with my kids in the car?"

Do I or you want kids inhaling ethylene glycol or getting mist in the eyes in an ICE overheat? Same answer as battery smoke - No. Interesting that you think spraying/steaming hot ethlyne glycol is peanuts?

Anyhow, what else would you do in either case ... but pull over and get the kids and yourself away? Would you keep driving? No.

 

[Electron]

LOL, I realize the difference.

OP stated "Like what if that had happened while driving with my kids in the car?"

Do I or you want kids inhaling ethylene glycol or getting mist in the eyes in an ICE overheat? Same answer as battery smoke - No. Interesting that you think spraying/steaming hot ethlyne glycol is peanuts?

Anyhow, what else would you do in either case ... but pull over and get the kids and yourself away? Would you keep driving? No.

You're just stating the obvious and I don't think anyone is disputing that.

The point was that an issue of that nature of what the OP experienced is a much higher risk than a coolant issue.

I get what your saying, but because you gave a specific example that's much less of a risk than a potential battery smoke/fire, is the reason why I had questioned your response.

By the way, just because you have a radiator issue does not mean that you're breathing in ethylene glycol and frying your eyes.

 

[Glembi2]

Edit: …

 

[Zoidz]

You're just stating the obvious and I don't think anyone is disputing that.

The point was that an issue of that nature of what the OP experienced is a much higher risk than a coolant issue.

I get what your saying, but because you gave a specific example that's much less of a risk than a potential battery smoke/fire, is the reason why I had questioned what your response.

By the way, just because you have a radiator issue does not mean that you're breathing in ethylene glycol and frying your eyes.

Here’s where I’m coming from, tell me if this is peanuts. When I was a teen, I was driving my Ford Falcon on a back road, I was doing around 30-35 mph. The radiator randomly blew out a pin hole leak. A coolant cloud billowed up and sprayed coolant all over the front of the car and windshield. It was late fall and the cold temperature condensed the steam on the windshield. I couldn’t see anything but managed to stay on the road and got stopped. I could easily have crashed. Less of a risk than a POTENTIAL fire, huh? Not in my book.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

LOL, I realize the difference.

OP stated "Like what if that had happened while driving with my kids in the car?"

Do I or you want kids inhaling ethylene glycol or getting mist in the eyes in an ICE overheat? Same answer as battery smoke - No. Interesting that you think spraying/steaming hot ethlyne glycol is peanuts?

Anyhow, what else would you do in either case ... but pull over and get the kids and yourself away? Would you keep driving? No.

Not everything needs to be adversarial. You're being incredibly pedantic. There's nothing wrong with OP being worried about what would happen if their battery had a thermal runaway event while driving on the highway with children in the car.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

Here’s where I’m coming from, tell me if this is peanuts. When I was a teen, I was driving my Ford Falcon on a back road, I was doing around 30-35 mph. The radiator randomly blew out a pin hole leak. A coolant cloud billowed up and sprayed coolant all over the front of the car and windshield. It was late fall and the cold temperature condensed the steam on the windshield. I couldn’t see anything but managed to stay on the road and got stopped. I could easily have crashed. Less of a risk than a POTENTIAL fire, huh? Not in my book.

You're just arguing for the sake of arguing now.

"HAH! You're ridiculous for worrying about two tires spontaneously blowing off the rim at 60mph. When I was a kid, all four tires blew off my rims at 120mph! Get over yourself and pull over!!!"

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