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Fisker Hybrids Get Bad Karma From Superstorm Sandy
New submitter slas6654 writes with this excerpt from Jalopnik: "Approximately 16 of the $100,000+ Fisker Karma extended-range luxury hybrids were parked in Port Newark, New Jersey last night when water from Hurricane Sandy's storm surge apparently breached the port and submerged the vehicles. As Jalopnik has exclusively learned, the cars then caught fire and burned to the ground.' Apparently Fiskar super-duty lithium ion batteries are neither water-proof or water soluble."
the 'submerged in water' use case?
Come on, editors, get your act together already.
The cars were totalled the minute they were submerged. If they were destroyed later, why does that matter?
We already knew it was a piece of shit.
Electric, gas or hybrid, any car fully submerged in salt water is heading to the scrap yard. Why pick on Fiskar because it's a hybrid?
Pretty basic chemistry going on here....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxhW7TtXIAM
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It looks like several were close together, while others parked a little bit away were unscathed. Perhaps one caught fire and that burnt adjacent cars? They were parked pretty close, and there's a Karma in one of the photos that didn't suffer the same fate.
We have flash floods every summer in Texas. Most cars that run into a few feet of water simply stall. If instead, your car explodes and kills all the occupants, then you've got a potential death trap.
It's a witch!
Generally speaking if you're driving through FEET of water, perhaps you shouldn't do that?
Yes I know flash floods happen, but the vast bulk of cars submerged aren't being driven at the time.
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
If you are driving your car during a flash flood you are none too bright. Lots of ways to die in a conventional car that way.
Most cars that ingest water don't just stall. They also manage to ruin the engine.
Something that happens in flooded streets are people driving in a foot or two of water (which the car can handle) suddenly entering a much deeper area because they cannot see the road lowering with the water above it.
With a normal car, you then sputter to a halt, get out and or wait there for help.
Or an alternate case, less likely but it does happen, is that an accident throws your car into a lake. It sucks, but you make your way out.
Now enter a car that catches fire as soon as it's in deep water. Now you have a WAY more serious problem, and cannot see or even breathe. This is a really bad problem to have and is something that could result in some deaths. They need more safegaurds to prevent mere immersion from destroying the car if nothing else so occupants can get out.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Those caught on fire too.
Gas mains erupting everywhere plus high winds equals crispy critters no matter what form your battery or gas tank is.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
It also means "is fishing". I found the headline hilarious.
1. Idiots
2. Since the water is usually not as clear as a swimming pool, it may not be obvious how deep the water actually is.
MIX 1 and 2! Result: car driven into flood waters.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
"if you're driving through FEET of water, perhaps you shouldn't do that?"
He said he was from Texas.
Why did you write Idiots twice?
Driving through water is dumb, driving through water that you do not know the depth of is suicidal.
Why are we spending tax dollars making scissors?
In a story like this, pics or it didn't happen. This is difficult to believe but easily verified.
Hoist Number One and Number Six.
So you want to kill people who have a different viewpoint than you. Dude you need help.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Top Gear says you're wrong, and at least as far as the Toyota Hilux is concerned, 5 hours submerged in salt water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk
The point of "flash" in flash flood is that it happens extremely rapidly - one doesn't exactly plan ahead for it.
An understanding of somewhat basic chemistry makes this a "duh" moment. Lithium + water = everyone's favorite science class demonstration.
Wouldn't be the first government stimulus project to go up in flames. Hopefully it'll be the last.
If it's up to your hood, it's at least multiple FEET deep.
As I said there would be instances where it's unavoidable but the VAST VAST majority are.
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
That's the point of "flash" flooding. It's unexpected. Perfectly good drivers turn a bend in the road on a rainy night and run straight into a gulley with 4 feet of water. We've got a lot of country roads with no lighting and poor visibility. Happens every summer around here - except deaths are extremely rare. But - if your car exploded before you could get out? Very bad.
Why is a category 1 hurricane being called a superstorm? I live in Florida and we get these frequently. They aren't a big deal if you're properly prepared for them. Hell, we got the same winds level of winds from Sandy that NY/NJ got when it was a much stronger C2 (nearly a 3), though the C2 part was off shore. Perhaps a better name for this is a super failure to be properly prepared?
Lithium is an alkali metal, and therefore highly reactive when introduced to water, quickly turning into hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide. If the barrier between battery and the outside failed, fire is a likely outcome.
I wonder how much CO2 a burning hybrid produces?
sig: pv qid
It's stupid for people to let their kids play with executive toys made of rare-earth magnets, too. But that didn't stop the government from shutting down Buckyballs.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
... I don't think you can be both.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
You NEVER know the depth of water. If you've ever driven through a puddle, count yourself as an idiot. That could have been much deeper, and you wouldn't have known. See point 2 above.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
I hardly know her!
How the fuck do you plan to avoid a FLASH flood, there genius?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Fiskar got stimulus money.
...your point being?
Please, PLEASE tell me it's more than "oooooooooo, scary scary government spending money, must find some OBAMAAAAAA way to make the concept scary scary and OBAAAAAAAMA evil and stuff, and by the way OBAAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAAAA doesn't that name scare you? Scary scary". Seriously, I want to keep SOME faith in Slashdot.
If you are driving your car during a flash flood you are none too bright. Lots of ways to die in a conventional car that way.
I'm going to assume that where you live, flash flooding is rather uncommon.
One cannot predict when or where a flash flood will occur - hence the 'flash' in the name. So, to say that people who drive "during a flash flood" are "none to bright" only serves to prove your ignorance on the topic.
Were we discussing regular, predictable flooding, I would wholeheartedly agree.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Fisker does not represent what electric vehicles are capable of- they represent what you get when you combine lots of money with shotty engineering. So who does it better? Well, if you haven't heard of them- Tesla motors is making a lot of headway.
You've got bigger problem driving an electric vehicle in texas.
NO.. I want Republicans to be killed by their own avarice and stupidity. They've screwed us over long enough and bad enough that they surely deserve a taste of their own medicine.
It's like with very loud motorcycles. Sure, I look forward to the day that the bike crashes, and the biker is either severely injured or killed.
But that doesn't mean I want to kill him. I just want to take pleasure in his death or injury.
Remember how Dick Cheney left office in a wheel chair?
That.
Does it make a difference whether they are inundated with any kind of water, or salt water?
Proverbs 21:19
Despite the car's apparent history with fires, it doesn't seem plausible that this is a wide-spread, common issue, considering the fact that, in 3 of the 4 pictures from the article, there are a few dozen more of the car in plain view, less than 10 feet from the destroyed set.
Nor does it appear (based on the rear ends of the less damaged cars) to be battery related. I'd suspect an electrical short igniting insulation and such.
Well, they are pretty good scissors.
apparently?
"We're not exactly sure what submerged these 16 cars Tom, but our best guess is that it was was from that ocean just over there."
So how much did these zero emission EVs pollute the environment when they burned?
How the fuck do you plan to avoid a FLASH flood, there genius?
Listen to the weather warnings (there always are) and avoid low water crossings when it's raining hard. I live in Texas and I've driving in flash floods. It's not hard to avoid the trouble spots if you know what's going on. I just moved recently and I explained to my fiancee which street to take to and from our house in flooding and which to avoid.
It's fuck common sense, not genius level thinking. So there's no call to be rude, you total moron.
No matter how deep 1 wheel getting into water is not an issue. The suspension will bottom and car will continue to move.
I do not drive through standing water on the road if that is what you meant.
So flash flooding occurs on top of hills or like all flooding in low lying areas?
Because if the latter is the case, do not drive in bad weather in low lying areas.
They also manage to ruin the engine
Just to elaborate for those that don't understand this. Water does not compress. When you have a piston slamming into water with the valves closed, the forged connecting rods bend. This causes all sorts of physical damage and warping to the block, valves, camshaft, and crankshaft.
It's not worth rebuilding. You crush the engine and sell of the metal as scrap.
Deep water looks like shallow water. So when you see a puddle, it could be much deeper. When you drive through water that is more than 2" deep, it could have been much deeper. Most people who drive through deep water thought it much more shallow. Because deep water looks like shallow water. I can't make this any more simple.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
I shouldn't have my taxes go to produce cars that only people like Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher can afford. It doesn't benefit me or the economy in the least.
Hahaha - in the countryside south and east of Austin, Texas, everything is "low lying". The problem with the flash floods is they can occur just from a normal rain storm. A few years ago, a colleague of mine left work late one night, rounded a corner in an industrial complex and ran straight into several feet of water in a dip in the road with no warning. Her car stalled, and the mud and water killed the engine and ruined the car. But at least she was able to get out and walk away.
Personally I would just pull the plugs and evacuate the cylinders, but hey I guess to each their own.
I don't drive an electric vehicle -- I've got a pick-up truck. Where the hell would I put my semi-automatic assault rifle gun rack in a Prius??? Where would I throw the carcasses of the wild boars? This is Texas we're talking about - got to have room for stuff.
Seawater conducts electricity - if any part of the battery terminals were exposed for extended periods (which, presumably, they were when submerged) then the connection was complete and the batteries discharged through the path of least resistance. This wasn't just rain submerging these cars, but flooding salt water. Very conductive.
Just ask the Navy submariners who survived the USS Bonefish disaster.
They've screwed us over long enough and bad enough that they surely deserve a taste of their own medicine.
It's like with very loud motorcycles. Sure, I look forward to the day that the bike crashes, and the biker is either severely injured or killed.
Dude, you're fucked up. Please seek help.
More Twoson than Cupertino
I think you mean Reginald Denny.
The gang beating Rodney King with clubs were by definition "The Man".
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Seriously, I want to keep SOME faith in Slashdot.
Then you shouldn't be posting political bullshit as AC.
Posts like yours are part of the fucking problem.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Explodes? This is not a movie. It caught on fire. Normal cars also catch fire. What people generally do is get out of the car the moment that happens.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
pudÂdle (pdl) n. 1. a. A small pool of water, especially rainwater. b. A small pool of a liquid.
This word does not mean what you think it means.
see also: https://www.google.com/search?q=puddle&hl=en&rlz=1C1ASUM_enUS448US448&prmd=imvnsa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=YuGSUNbSIMKDjAL1moG4Dw&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=979&bih=691&sei=heGSUJGSIK_tiQKR24DQAg.
It's stupid for people to let their kids play with executive toys made of rare-earth magnets, too. But that didn't stop the government from shutting down Buckyballs.
The government didn't shut them down. Maxfield and Oberton was sued by the CPSC but the suit hasn't been settled AFAIK. They made a decision to stop selling them.
I think it's a completely prudent move, in my opinion. Not because they're unsafe, but because
A) better to exit the market and clear out the warehouse on their own terms
B) there are far too many companies producing small spherical neodymium magnets right now so they can't command a premium
C) the costs of rare earths is skyrocketing and the situation isn't likely to get any better so long as China continues to restrict output and other nation's stockpiles remain untapped
D) they don't have to roll the dice on the actual findings of the court, and continue to pay lawyers to work hard on that suit.
More Twoson than Cupertino
Either someone is really dumb and getting fired, or is getting a raise for figuring out a way to dispose of troubled units while getting insurance money.
Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
We have flash floods every summer in Texas. Most cars that run into a few feet of water simply stall. If instead, your car explodes and kills all the occupants, then you've got a potential death trap.
I now see why they keep playing those flash flood PSAs down here. "Turn around, don't drown. The life you save may be your own." Clearly the message hasn't reached Kyle, TX yet.
Is pretty much screwed. So these went out a with a bit more pizazz... Instead of quietly and prematurely dissolving into a pile of rust and seized parts.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I shouldn't have my taxes go to produce cars that only people like Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher can afford. It doesn't benefit me or the economy in the least.
Even exploding cars? That could benefit everyone (but only if people like Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher drive them).
So flash flooding occurs on top of hills or like all flooding in low lying areas?
Because if the latter is the case, do not drive in bad weather in low lying areas.
You've... never been to Texas, have you?
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Test #1 - throw a lot of water on car
expected result:
Clean car
if car caught fires - immediate file a fail bug.
killed James Bond?
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
In Texas you're not allowed to tell anyone "don't do that".
You NEVER know the depth of water.
If you are a local and you know the road, you do know the depth of the water. Not down to the measurements, but well enough to judge for safety's sake.
If you've ever driven through a puddle, count yourself as an idiot. That could have been much deeper, and you wouldn't have known.
That statement should be measured in perspective. Driving a slammed-to-the-ground vehicle through puddles on unknown roads is just asking for a wreck, and yes, idiotic. Driving a vehicle that has good road clearance and is equipped for inclement weather and/or off-road conditions through puddles, while being foolish, can also quite fun. Of course these statements can be further adjusted by the traffic and surroundings of the situation.
These probably aren't selling very well because of the numerous problems that have been reported, so the owner got Guido to make sure that they burned to a crisp. The hurricane is just a convenient cover story.
First rule of driving is always to be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.
Oh, so you know every gradual dip on every road in vicinity of your house? Doubt it. In many cases, what appears to be a puddle can be several more inches deep. And unless you brake quickly (as in slam on the brakes; not a good idea in rainy or wet conditions), hitting even 6 inches of water quickly will splash up enough water to stall the engine. Or, hey, maybe everyone else is just stupid.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Here is a Chevy Volt with a gun rack.
Yes, 'totaled' means the cost to restore the vehicle to the state or better that it was in before the incident exceeds the value of the vehicle. Still, as you mention, that doesn't mean that partial restorations aren't possible. Full restorations are as well, they just require some sort of attachment to the vehicle to justify the expense. Or access to below market rate repair - free labor from doing it yourself, for example.
A submerged car can be fixed 'pretty well', the problem is that it's really tough to fix all the electrical and corrosion problems completely, so the car may no longer be reliable.
Now, because the car at least currently operates and looks like it hasn't been flooded, you get people selling them as plain old used cars. Same as with cars that have been in serious accidents and have hidden structural damage/problems. Which is generally fraud.
I don't read AC A human right
What kind of car can handle a foot of water?
Any Jeep or equivalent. Your estimates are way too conservative.
But even a MINI Countryman can handle a foot of water... it's in the manual. It's not exactly a high-clearance vehicle.
A lot of modern cars can handle much deeper water than you would think, the tire height alone is not a good indication.
All of the things you mention have to be pretty well sealed anyway to keep various fluids within from getting out... It's all about keeping water out of any air intakes, but those are always at the top of the engine. Modern passenger compartments are usually quite well sealed as long as you are not submerged too deep for too long.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Alternately, what about driving back-country? Sure, an electric sedan probably wouldn't be used for this, but a hybrid SUV might.
It was in africa, on a backcountry "road", and it came up to the base of the windshield. The vehicle had a snorkel for exactly this purpose.
I've seen testing - the electronics system will work for at least a few minutes, long enough to get the window down even when fully submerged. Your mileage may vary depending on details of the accident that results in submersion as well as age and make of the car and battery.
But unconscious AND the windows up is a bad way. I carry a spring punch - a hammer won't work as well under water. Useful not only for me, but if I have to be a rescuer.
I don't read AC A human right
Only if you never read the front page here. At least once a week there is a story on the front page that pushes the conservative agenda
Total bullshit.
You would have to be ignoring the countless articles on global warming, or promoting the federal controlled internet takeover that is Network Neutrality in order to make any kind of claim there is no liberal bias to Slashdot.
Just because someone managed to post a breitbart link once does not a conservative site make, I would bet that the article summary in that case made fun of what was on breitbart.
Slashdot used to be more Libertarian, but those days are long gone.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Generally speaking, I'd say that a still working vehicle isn't worthless. Totaled doesn't mean that the vehicle isn't worth anything any more - you have scrap metal if nothing else! It's just that the repair costs exceed the value of the resulting car, so in theory it's cheaper for you to just go out and buy another vehicle of the same general value and condition as the vehicle was before the accident.
I don't read AC A human right
I'm guilty of driving through a flooded road I knew well, and I knew the car would make if I went really slowly. 3/4 of the way through, a high riding pickup approached from the other direction. The driver slowed before realizing, "My truck can do this!" and guns it, causing a big wake. I mouthed, "No!" at him, but too late, the engine's air intake sucked the water right in (I should've turned off the engine before the wake hit), and it took a new set of spark plugs to finally got the engine going again (the next day). And about 6 months later the engine seized up, That taught me but good to never drive through flooded roadways again.
Oh, so you know every gradual dip on every road in vicinity of your house? Doubt it. In many cases, what appears to be a puddle can be several more inches deep. And unless you brake quickly (as in slam on the brakes; not a good idea in rainy or wet conditions), hitting even 6 inches of water quickly will splash up enough water to stall the engine. Or, hey, maybe everyone else is just stupid.
Nice leap there. I didn't say "every" road, but in my case there are particular paths that I take multiple times every day, and yes, I do know there the dips are, gradual or sudden. I also know where the water builds during the rain, and which corners to take wider in such situations. It's called learning and it's something "everyone else" is quite capable of.
These are also short paths as well so memorizing them isn't the arduous task you make them out to be. You however, did use the term "NEVER", so don't be upset when I poke at the obvious holes in your statement. If you meant to state that it's good practice to act like you never know the depth of the water, then you should say so, as that distinction can be appreciated. But taking your personal experience and saying that it's the exact same for everyone else, bar none, is quite foolish to say the least.
Why else do you think that Texas leads in deaths at railroad crossings and in flash floods. "Oooh, lets try it and see if I can make it."
Learn to love Alaska
A few years ago my mom was picking me up during a heavy rainstorm at the local college. She was parked with the engine running as I was running to the car. Suddenly there was a wave of water that must have come over some hill over towards her passenger side. In the minute it took me to run to the car, the road went from 1-2 inches of water to 2-3 feet of water.
Needless to say I would not have been happy if the car exploded at that point.
Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
Hasn't happened to me - don't know why you're busting my balls. I drive carefully in the rain, and I know where the water builds up and I avoid it. However, there's no denying that a lot of cars do get caught out here. We simply have a lot more country roads with water crossings where the county or the state hasn't built a bridge.
I've driven through water more than 2" deep that I knew the depth of. I could see the road beneath it, and perspective is different, but that doesn't mean it is unknowable. Local knowledge of the area also helps.
Learn to love Alaska
BTW, this was in one of the boroughs of New York and it was about 20 years ago, during just a really bad storm. No where near a river or the coast or even in a flood plain.
ie: It could not have been planned for by the driver of the car. (Whether the area should have been developed better is another story.)
Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
Texas leads in flash flood deaths and railroad crossing deaths. They are the same. You can just not travel when a flash flood is predicted, or you can go out and try your luck and see what happens. Also, most of the reports I heard about weren't a person on a dry road being swept away by a sudden wave tsunami style, but most were people crossing washed out bridges and such thinking they could make it, but didn't. Like trying to beat a train and not making it is "unavoidable".
Learn to love Alaska
If your car isn't a potential death trap already, I'd be much surprised. Not just during a flash flood, but other accidents, including more than a few incidents at Gas Stations.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/OS.ServiceStations.pdf
Says the US has about 5,000 a year in fires at service and gas stations.
If you feel safe around your death trap already, that's on you.
I'm from Texas, where the OP mentioned the flash floods. I've also been in regular floods. Regular floods are like the Mississippi rising 2" per hour for 24 hours. Flash floods are http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/hydro/flooddef.php floods under 6 hours. So, not just the tsunami-wave style, but rains that bring a 5 hour "regular" flood is still a flash flood. Ever go camping in a flash flood area? I have. You set up camp on a ridge. The flash flood could kill you in your sleep, it's happened before.
Texas leads in deaths at train crossings and flash floods. They are the same. It's usually a case of someone doing something extraordinarily stupid (crossing in front of a train, crossing a flooded road and being swept off the road).
Learn to love Alaska
I had a friend hydro-lock his engine. He had to replace all the con rods and the crank. After labor, the work exceeded the cost of the car. Less than one cup of water through the air filter will total a running car.
Learn to love Alaska
Dude me and my friends made the mud hole with our trucks. Getting stuck is half the fun. It doesn't even count as mud unless it's a foot deep.
It's raining in the Sierra right now. WTF am I doing posting on /.? There's mud and snow in them thar hills. I wish it were Friday already.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Just hold his beer and watch. People like you ruin all the fun.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Have you ever put your hands on a motor that hydro locked? The parts are cool in a pyromaniac kind of way.
In my experience the GP is wrong. The rods might bend but mostly the head leaves the block violently.
NHRA hydrolocks are something else again. Spontaneous thermal self disassembly.
Your thinking of an engine that flooded while off.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
If it's semi-automatic it's not an assault rifle. Assault rifles are rock and roll select fire by definition.
Your thinking of 'assault weapon' which is meaningless political drep.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
> Solar - uh, who said we can't mine stuff? China just shut down it's production so US production can at least for a bit start back up (obviously not immediately)
Mining those materials releases lots of radioactive (yes, radioactive) waste. Molycorp's US rare earth mine (which was recently reopened, I think) was actually shut down for this.
Sources:
* Molycorp
* Molycorp's Mountain Pass mine (This doesn't appear to be linked to Molycorp's article right now, oddly enough...)
* Ars article on the restart of US rare earth mining
I'm sure they'll try to do better this time and I hope they are better.
Don't let cars like these anywhere near the ocean or at low elevations. Problem solved.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Just because their is a fire to cars from a company that is having LOADS of fiscal issues, does NOT mean that it was the batteries.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
These are pretty interesting and informative (to me at least) wrt where current energy resources come from and where they go.
https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/
What a noble role in the world, to run off Americaâ(TM)s waste...
What people generally do is get out of the car the moment that happens.
Of course, if the fire is caused by sea water entering the battery and creating an electrical short, getting out of the car (and thereby touching the electrified sea water) might not be such a good idea either.
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
... don't breathe this!
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -HLM
That's why you have to go REALLY fast.
Listen to the weather warnings (there always are) and avoid low water crossings when it's raining hard.
Yep, prudent words. Of course flash floods can come from pretty far away. It doesn't have to be raining where you are for you to run into a flash flood.
Because if the latter is the case, do not drive in bad weather in low lying areas.
So what about the people who are driving in normal, sunny weather, and get hit by a flash flood? It happens. It doesn't have to be raining where you are currently standing.
A bit like this you mean?
That's not a stall. That's hydrolock, wherein one or more cylinders fill with water. Pistons are ruined, rods turn to mush, cranks bend, and blocks turn to scrap: It's fucked.
The difference between "stall" and "fucked" is the same as the difference between the nonchalant "Oh, I just rebooted it and it's been fine" and the much more serious "The fucker is seriously bricked" or "There were visible flames coming from that equipment."
Kid-proof tablet..
The people who are none too bright are the ones who made the roads. The roads should have been elevated. In some places this has been done to good effect. In other places, not so much. Nobody should live on a flood plain any more, there's no need, because you no longer have to carry water from a river. It makes more sense to live in the hills, and use those flood plains for agriculture. Unfortunately, that's not the way things are done in a modern mercantilism.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
If enough cylinders take in water at the "same time" (close enough anyhow) and RPMs are not high, then it's quite possible to hydrolock without damaging the engine.
On the other hand, if you've got the revs up because you're trying to get through some mud or gravel, and you suck up water, you're gonna have a bad time.
And of course, if you've got a diesel, and you suck up water, just call it a day and start crying. They've got nearly twice the compression.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Actually I go there every year. Into what they call hill country.
If I remember right, Justin Bieber was given his as a gift. Wait.... now I know why!
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
Dude me and my friends made the mud hole with our trucks. Getting stuck is half the fun. It doesn't even count as mud unless it's a foot deep.
It's raining in the Sierra right now. WTF am I doing posting on /.? There's mud and snow in them thar hills. I wish it were Friday already.
And me still saving money for my future jeep...the shame...
none of the nuclear power plants in Sandy's path had a major incident. Tell me again how nuclear is not safe enough to be considered "green" energy?
Yep... I was thinking about that too. I used to live in Fort Worth and I remember that flash floods were not unusual.
After reading all of the comments Slashdot showed me the first time around, no one asked the following question, "were the cars put there intentionally?" I know its a bit of a stretch, but what if the company realized it couldn't sell any of the cars and decided that if a natural disaster took them out it may not be the worst thing that could happen.
I dare say that they wouldn't have to stop making the product and take the losses (some of which we'll pay for, as they write them off on their taxes) if the CPSC hadn't SUED them. Is that fair? The US government is playing the same role a patent troll or the RIAA does here.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.