Is vehicle heat resiliency falling behind the pace of climate change?
Recent events in Death Valley suggest that might be the case. According to reports, the last month has seen multiple vehicles essentially burst into flames in America’s hottest geographic location.
This National Park is famous for its triple digit temperatures and even boasts the somewhat controversial claim of reaching the highest temperature recorded on earth – 134 degrees – in the year 1913.
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But the temps in year 2024 have also been record-breaking, and reports say a soft drink delivery truck was recently the fourth vehicle to burn to ashes within the park’s borders – a situation being blamed on components overheating.
The National Park Service shared photos of the charred remains of the truck, and said firefighters believe that the brakes were at the root of the fire. A spokesperson for the park, Abby Wines, told SFGate that most vehicle fires in Death Valley were due to brakes overheating going down steep grades, adding “This is part of why nearly every car manufacturer comes to Death Valley National Park to test their new vehicles in the summer.”
But based on recent events, are they keeping up? Wines added that vehicle fires happen year-round in the park but that they are pacing ahead of last year and that “the summer heat doesn’t help.” Wines added that the risk is much greater for heavier vehicles.
Drivers are encouraged to downshift on steep grades as it eases the stress on brakes. Or maybe avoid the area if at all possible this time of year. Earlier this month, temperatures didn’t fall below 100 degrees for four straight days.
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