Photo: Twitter / Lei Xing
EV fires are more difficult to put out and more difficult to predict. That said, word of EV fires, and particularly instances of Teslas exploding or spontaneously combusting, tend to spread far quicker and wider than news of ICE (internal combustion engine) fires.
Earlier this week, a Tesla Model 3 burned down to a crisp in an underground parking structure in Shanghai, China. Initial reports, according to CNBC, did not say what may have caused the fire, noting only that the car had spontaneously combusted after the owner parked it there.
In a statement to Chinese media, covered by local publication YiCai Global, Tesla is fighting back against the narrative that its vehicles are, somehow, more prone to catching fire without cause than any other vehicle on the market, whether electric or not. In fact, the statement says, it was a misuse of the vehicle that may have damaged the car, making it catch fire.
Apparently, the driver had hit a manhole cover as he was pulling in into the garage, which caused damage to the underside and, implicitly, the battery pack. “Based on the driver’s statement and an examination of the auto, preliminary findings point to the undercarriage hitting something and damaging the battery,” the media outlet reports, citing Tesla China.
A thorough investigation is underway, with the EV maker cooperating with authorities. It is also assisting the owner to claim insurance, which he will need because the car was completely destroyed. On the upside, despite the fact that this fire occurred in a closed space, there were no injuries. The Model 3 caught fire after the owner left and there was no one else around either.
This is the third time that a Tesla burning down while parked in China is making international headlines. The most recent one was in April 2019, also in Shanghai, when a single defective cell in a Model S sparked the fire that completely destroyed the vehicle.
In a statement to Chinese media, covered by local publication YiCai Global, Tesla is fighting back against the narrative that its vehicles are, somehow, more prone to catching fire without cause than any other vehicle on the market, whether electric or not. In fact, the statement says, it was a misuse of the vehicle that may have damaged the car, making it catch fire.
Apparently, the driver had hit a manhole cover as he was pulling in into the garage, which caused damage to the underside and, implicitly, the battery pack. “Based on the driver’s statement and an examination of the auto, preliminary findings point to the undercarriage hitting something and damaging the battery,” the media outlet reports, citing Tesla China.
A thorough investigation is underway, with the EV maker cooperating with authorities. It is also assisting the owner to claim insurance, which he will need because the car was completely destroyed. On the upside, despite the fact that this fire occurred in a closed space, there were no injuries. The Model 3 caught fire after the owner left and there was no one else around either.
This is the third time that a Tesla burning down while parked in China is making international headlines. The most recent one was in April 2019, also in Shanghai, when a single defective cell in a Model S sparked the fire that completely destroyed the vehicle.
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