Yes, last time I read about a fire in that tunnel I believe it was the brakes. I don’t know how.
Even if it’s an engine issue, I don’t see how an EV would be more likely to catastrophically overheat. An EV will generate a lot less heat for a given amount of power. There’s also less potential for oil and fuels leaks which exacerbates the issue.
> Yes, last time I read about a fire in that tunnel I believe it was the brakes. I don’t know how.
Friction brakes convert momentum into heat. If you ride the brakes going down a mountain you generate more heat than the brakes can dissipate into the air and the brake temperature keeps going up until they're hot enough to start a fire.
The risk would be from power cell failure and how difficult it is to put out those fires for most of the chemistries used, how they're packed, etc. I would guess the rate of occurrence will be pretty similar. I don't think we'll fully know until we have a bunch of older EV trucks to know how the risk compares to older diesel ones.
Even if it’s an engine issue, I don’t see how an EV would be more likely to catastrophically overheat. An EV will generate a lot less heat for a given amount of power. There’s also less potential for oil and fuels leaks which exacerbates the issue.