Uh... no

After being damaged, it takes a while for the chemicals to react in a LiPo pack, whereas gasoline WILL ignite imediately with only a simple spark. It is true that liquid gasoline does not burn, but have you ever seen liquid gasoline that wasn't surrounded by gasoline vapors?

Just ask the owner of any Ford Pinto, who was rear-ended back in the 70's, if they wish they had been driving a battery-operated car instead. On second thought, don't bother asking them, they're dead.

Here's a news article from just 2 days ago:

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">A Clear Lake man was severely burned Saturday after the Ford Pinto he was driving was rear-ended and burst into flames. The Stearns County Sheriff's Department says it happened on County Road 51 in St. Joseph Township at 6:39 p.m. Saturday. 18-year-old Jeffrey Hinkemeyer of Clear Lake was driving his 1979 Pinto westbound and was slowing down to make a left turn when it was rear-ended by another car. The Pinto started on fire on impact, and Hinkemeyer was severely burned. He was airlifted to the Hennepin County Burn Unit for treatment, and his current condition is unknown. The people in the car that hit the pinto were taken to the St. Cloud Hospital but refused treatment. The crash is still under investigation. There were many lawsuits anda massive recall of Ford Pintos in the 70s and early 80s because of similar injuries caused by fires after rear-end collisions. </span></span>