Does anyone park their Mach E in their garage?

[Mach Al]

I work for an insurance company pursuing at fault companies. I have class action claims against major manufacturers for ICE fires due to defects. I do not have any cases against EVs because I don’t see very many EV fires. We do insure many EV vehicles. I am speaking from experience.

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[Jimrpa]

I should add that I don’t worry about car (or other types of) fires because I have this really cool product that protects me against any potential losses. It’s called “insurance” ?

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

I am trying to determine where to position my charger ahead of my 2025 order arriving, and was planning to position it towards the front of my garage so I can keep the Mach E outside, as I am concerned about the possible flammability of the car ;-) But then I started to wonder, perhaps that is so... 2021? What is the consensus here? Do folks park their Mach E in the garage?

Always set it up so that you are parked with the nose of the Mach-e facing outward (in other words, back into the garage). This is because the tow hooks for the mach-e are on the front of the vehicle underneath. there are no approved tow points on the back of the mach-e.

if you ever are in a position where the vehicle needs to be towed out of your garage, you'll be thankful the nose is facing outward. I have had this happen once already due to park brake being seized in the park position. I was really glad I setup my chargers by the garage doors and back into the garage.

I know copper cable cost is a consideration, so the alternative is use the length of the charging cable to reach the charge port and place the electrical outlet in a location that meets the budget.

That's my opinion based on what people have gone through from being towed incorrectly and having their vehicles badly damaged, and from having had to be towed out of my garage once already within one year of ownership.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

This data is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!

People here keep complaining about “fake news,” but keep posting the same sources on “ev fire data.”

These sources are misleading, incomplete and in some cases COMPLETELY FABRICATED!

There is NO comprehensive data on actual numbers of car fires because this data isn’t tracked neither globally nor domestically.

People posting this data claiming “low” EV fire rates are just as misleading as the data trying to make them sound common.

Here is a reputable source showing how those EV fire numbers being reported are off by a factor of at least 60 when compared to gas cars-

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40163966/cars-catching-fire-new-york-times-real-statistics/

More important to the topic at hand is WHY and WHERE cars catch fire.

After a wreck? After flooding? While charging? Spontaneous combustion? Arson?

Regardless of the lack of comprehensive data. It happens.

I saw a gas powered car on fire on the side of the highway yesterday (wreck).

Saw a Tesla burn a house down a month ago locally (saltwater flooding from hurricane).

I think I sort of agree (it’s still early and not all the caffeine has kicked in).

The lack of a statistically valid data base is going to lend people to using whatever they want. I go by what my next door neighbor who was until recently the #2 in our county wide fire department. Hawaii county has the highest rate of ev adoption in the state and the highest percentage of ev’s registered. There has been exactly 1 EV fire since they started paying attention. That was a solo vehicle accident as well. They ran the car off the road on a straightaway at high speed right into A’a lava fields. Sharp pointy rocks. Also anecdotal.

The fact is that vehicle fires are fairly uncommon but ice fires will occur more frequently because there are just so many more ice vehicles. Spontaneous combustion of vehicles regardless of power source is also very uncommon. If folks are worried about it, though, park outside until they’re more comfortable with the technology. There’s nothing wrong with that. Unless you live in Canada or Fairbanks. Then it’s cold.

Anecdotal experiences don’t add much to a rational discussion of the advantages or disadvantages of enclosed or covered parking. But if people want anecdotal experiences as a reason for not doing something, I’ll be glad to scare them off of ever boarding another airliner.

 

[rreddy3]

Always set it up so that you are parked with the nose of the Mach-e facing outward (in other words, back into the garage). This is because the tow hooks for the mach-e are on the front of the vehicle underneath. there are no approved tow points on the back of the mach-e.

if you ever are in a position where the vehicle needs to be towed out of your garage, you'll be thankful the nose is facing outward. I have had this happen once already due to park break being seized in the park position. I was really glad I setup my chargers by the garage doors and back into the garage.

I know copper cable cost is a consideration, so the alternative is use the length of the charging cable to reach the charge port and place the electrical outlet in a location that meets the budget.

That's my opinion based on what people have gone through from being towed incorrectly and having their vehicles badly damaged, and from having had to be towed out of my garage once already within one year of ownership.

You make a good point on why to back in the garage. Although not why I back in, I’ll take the added fringe benefit !

 

[RWG]

Since we got the car, January2022, it is always parked in the Garage. The level 2 charger was installed in the garage. Charge rate is set at about 32 Amps

Regarding fire risks: My opinion, I think the risk of an electrical fire is greater at the 220v connections for the level 2 charger. That is why I frequently check high-voltage connections with an infrared thermometer. If any connection is over approx. 140 degrees I immediately , shut off the power and retighten the connections. Over time wire connections can loosen from Thermal Cycling, and if left unmanaged they can degrade to the point of sparks and when that happens in a very short time the connection will go "critical", create a plasma ball, and cremate every thing close by. The circuit breaker will probably not trip until a hot wire shorts to ground, but by then it is too late, the damage is done. In my opinion it makes no difference if the level 2 installer was certified/licensed or not. High voltage, high power connections can loosen overtime and therefore should be checked occasionally. As a retired technician, who frequently worked on high voltage/high power draw equipment, if have seen this happen many, many times. You can get an infrared thermometer for $50 or less at Home Depot, Lowes etc, or Amazon.

When the car is in my garage, charging for a couple of hours or so, the charging cord temp to the car usually increases about 25 Degrees over ambient. That is normal, running 30+ amps of power through that cord and other components is going to generate some waste heat.in the power cords, connections and even the circuit breakers in the service panels. It is easy to check the temps with an infrared thermometer without touching any components.

FYI - The amount of power/"amps" used during charging far exceeds the amperage draw of an average house ( unless it has an electric stove, electric baseboard, and electric water heater, all running at the same time).

Better to be "safe" than "sorry", buy an infrared thermometer. Caution, if you have your car outside, and, the black charging cable is in direct sunlight on a 90 degree day, the surface temp of the cord can easily be over 130 degrees. So don't get fooled, if you get a thermometer and check temps occasionally, you will soon determine what "normal is". But if you find anything that is hot, 140 degrees or more, it should be serviced by a qualified technician ASAP.

 

[njb]

I would park in the garage, but there are already two cars in there. The MachE, Tesla and Fusion hybrid all park outside because they are the most driven cars. The charger is in the garage and whomever needs to charge pulls in the spot closest (our driveway is perpendicular to our garage). The ICE vehicles stay in the garage because they are rarely driven.

 

[AlMelbourneFL]

I am trying to determine where to position my charger ahead of my 2025 order arriving, and was planning to position it towards the front of my garage so I can keep the Mach E outside, as I am concerned about the possible flammability of the car ;-) But then I started to wonder, perhaps that is so... 2021? What is the consensus here? Do folks park their Mach E in the garage?

The 2025 Mach E has an LFP battery. The fire risk for this battery type is very low.

 

[dwiz49]

I am trying to determine where to position my charger ahead of my 2025 order arriving, and was planning to position it towards the front of my garage so I can keep the Mach E outside, as I am concerned about the possible flammability of the car ;-) But then I started to wonder, perhaps that is so... 2021? What is the consensus here? Do folks park their Mach E in the garage?

Well, my brother’s house burned to the ground from a car fire in the garage. It was a gas powered Buick.
We have parked our GT in the garage daily since 2021.

 

[EMachE]

Yes I have parked both the GT and my previous Volt in the garage. I put the charger right next to the man door and between it and the electrical panel. This enables charging both inside and outside. It cam in handy this summer when we were having the insulation and drywall done.

As to fires. The car is 60 times less likely to burst into flames than your previous ICE that you no doubt had no qualms about parking in the

That is a sweet looking garage Sir.

 

[Gloff]

The 2025 Mach E has an LFP battery. The fire risk for this battery type is very low.

Only on the standard range cars, the Extnedos are all NCM

 

[ralteredstates]

Yes I have parked both the GT and my previous Volt in the garage. I put the charger right next to the man door and between it and the electrical panel. This enables charging both inside and outside. It cam in handy this summer when we were having the insulation and drywall done.

As to fires. The car is 60 times less likely to burst into flames than your previous ICE that you no doubt had no qualms about parking in the

When can I move in? Looks like lotsa room!

 

[phil]

Does anyone park their Mach E in their garage?

Yes, I'm pretty sure someone does.

 

[DaddyDeuce]

I would park in the garage except there isn't any room because of all the piles of oil soaked rags I keep there.

 

[Rjm]

I park and charge in the garage.

I park my Mache in the garage. I had the charger mounted about 6 feet from the entrance so I can charge the car either in the garage or just outside if choose to. Works great

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