As if Americans struggling to survive amidst hurricane damage needed one more thing to worry about, electric vehicle owners have been warned in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Before the storm hit, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged EV owners to get their cars to higher ground. “Be careful about that getting inundated,” he said. “It can cause fires.”

Tesla has also warned its customers against starting their EVs if they have been caught in flood waters and advised to move them at least 50 feet from any building. Of course, that would need to be done via towing since starting them is not recommended.

The problem is the large lithium ion batteries. When flooded, particularly with salt water, these batteries can short-circuit and become ticking time bombs. To make matters worse, when an EV does ignite, it’s hard to put out.

For example, just last week, on the highway near the Port of Los Angeles, a semi-truck hauling lithium ion batteries overturned and caught fire. The LA Fire Department shut down a seven-mile stretch of the road, noting that it expected the fire to burn for at least 24 to 48 hours.

Two years ago, after Hurricane Ian hit Florida, flood waters compromised some 5,000 EVs, 36 of which caught fire. Hurricane Idalia hit the Sunshine State last year and also caused several EV fires. Given the flooding caused last week by Hurricane Helene across the Southeast, accounts of EVs suddenly catching fire even weeks after the flood waters have receded are a possibility.

This is not intended as a knock against EVs, which many residents of the Southeast may be using to power refrigerators or other household items until electricity is restored. But every technology has its drawbacks, and a reality check is in order on the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to force the auto market into an EV-only future rather than letting consumer choice guide the free market.

EVs simply aren’t the answer for most people. The combustible battery is yet another consideration, as this fire threat also contributes to higher average insurance costs for EVs.

Meanwhile, fewer Californians are buying Teslas, but it’s not due to misgivings about EVs. The reason has everything to do with politics — specifically those of Elon Musk. According to Mario Natarelli, managing partner at branding agency MBLM, “Tesla was the EV leader, the most innovative, represented by a visionary. … Now people are selling their Teslas, ashamed to even drive them because of the association with him.”

This past July, Tesla’s favorability rating among Democrats hit an all-time low of 18%. Republicans, who are less generally friendly toward EVs, likewise hold a low favorability rating for Tesla at 22%. Still, Tesla leads the EV market in California, accounting for 56% of all EV sales in the state so far this year.

So, whether it is concerns over range, charging, battery fires, or Musk’s political opinions, customers are the ultimate determiner of where the auto market goes. Just as they should be.