This sounds REALLY dangerous I wonder if it causes cancer to breath that stuff.

 

My old Bonneville had it under the rear seat. Inside the passenger compartment. Had a vent to for the gasses through a tube to the outside. You pull up the lower seat cushion to check it.

The engineers must think either acid won't spill, or it'll get blocked/absorbed by the cabin filter sufficiently so a bunch isn't going to come in to the passenger compartment.

 

I'll look again and let you know later.

 

If there ends up being something that causes the battery to boil out electrolyte there would be far more indications that something is going wrong and you would not be happily motoring along unaware of any issues. A battery does not release anything nasty or in any appreciable amounts as long as the electrical system is working properly, and the battery itself is situated close to the passenger compartment and protected in all but the most severe crash. Batteries are best treated when in the path of cool air flow rather than in hot underhood temps.

As far as carcinogenic compounds in the cabin air, that wonderful 'new car smell' is a toxic dump compared to a battery's vented gases when something is going wrong (hydrogen sulfide).

 

Thanks, greatbear. I was gonna say something like that. But I would have just been making it up.

 

And to make you ALL feel even better. My BOAT has 6, (SIX) Group 31 size batteries in it (each one is about twice the size of the battery in the mini). I take my boat 100 miles each way, offshore fishing off of Long Island into the Canyons (5000' deep water). Lets just say on rough days we take a serious beating!!

All six batteries are strapped down, but uncovered, and in the same compartment (air wise) as the cabin. I sleep in the boat for a week at a time, breathing the same air the batteries are "venting" in after running 100's of miles in rough seas (read: getting bounced around).

These batteries are also gel Cells. I have never had a problem with them, or breathing the lovely acid air!!!

The Gel cells really do not vent at all, except for EXTREME circumstances (very high temperature) at which point the car is probably on fire and the battery venting would be the least of your troubles.

Anywhoozle.

 

First, the MINI battery is NOT a gel cel. It's a lead acid battery.

Second, lead acid batteries emit toxic gases every second they are charging.

The only saving grace here is there is a vent tube that will evacuate normal charging gases out of the path that goes into the drivers compartment.

 

That's a big "only." Kind of like saying the only thing that stopped his head from going through the windshield was his airbag.

 

Tempest in a teapot, no?
VW bugs had the battery under the rear seat (when it wasn't shorting out on the seat springs!)

 

My 1985 VW Vanagon's battery was under the driver's seat.