Photo: EV FireSafe
EV fires are not the easiest missions for firefighters. They need special techniques to put them out and to keep everyone safe. To give them a helping hand, Tesla has donated a Model 3 that was destroyed by fire to an organization specializing in EV fire safety.
The Model 3 is one of the six electric cars that caught fire in Australia over the past 14 years. The car that Tesla donated was engulfed by flames after a traffic incident that took place on the Hume Highway near Goulburn, in New South Wales, Australia, back in September.
Conducting an investigation in partnership with Tesla and the Victorian County Fire Authority, the EV FireSafe team spent six whole hours to take the damaged battery pack out of the electric sedan. The EV FireSafe organization dubbed the totaled Model 3 "Testla," pointing out that it is a test car.
They are tearing down the entire vehicle to get information about the way it burned and how fires can be prevented or put out in the future. They also showed photos of the crash from September 2023, during a 78-minute long video presentation, carried out by EV FireSafe.
Hundreds of fire investigators and experts tuned in to watch the video of the Tesla being dismantled. The wreck provided significant information to those working on it and to the viewers.
The Penrose Rural Fire Brigade arrived at the scene and put out the fire in around half an hour.
The investigation that followed showed that 95 percent of the battery pack had burned out, thus eliminating the risk of a secondary ignition.
The head of the Electric Vehicle Council, Ross De Range, reports that only six EV fires have been recorded in Australia since 2010. One of them was deliberately set on fire, another caught fire following a crash, and three burned in a fire that engulfed several vehicles.
While the numbers are very low in Australia, we have been reporting EV fires at least once a month, happening in the US or in Europe.
Compared to petrol and diesel vehicle fires, EV fires have quite a low rate. Fire Rescue NSW reports that around 2,500 internal combustion engine-powered cars catch fire in Australia every year.
For the past few years, fire brigades have been searching for new methods to extinguish fires, with the car being sunk in a water bin being the most common. Burying it or covering it with an especially developed blanket that supresses the oxygen are also modern ways to put out the blaze.
Conducting an investigation in partnership with Tesla and the Victorian County Fire Authority, the EV FireSafe team spent six whole hours to take the damaged battery pack out of the electric sedan. The EV FireSafe organization dubbed the totaled Model 3 "Testla," pointing out that it is a test car.
They are tearing down the entire vehicle to get information about the way it burned and how fires can be prevented or put out in the future. They also showed photos of the crash from September 2023, during a 78-minute long video presentation, carried out by EV FireSafe.
Hundreds of fire investigators and experts tuned in to watch the video of the Tesla being dismantled. The wreck provided significant information to those working on it and to the viewers.
How did the Tesla Model 3 catch fire?
The Tesla Model 3 reportedly ran over an 18-kilogram (40-pound) truck tail shaft that had fallen out from a truck driving nearby. The shaft penetrated the battery pack and caused thermal runaway, catching fire, as shown in the live video presentation.The Penrose Rural Fire Brigade arrived at the scene and put out the fire in around half an hour.
The investigation that followed showed that 95 percent of the battery pack had burned out, thus eliminating the risk of a secondary ignition.
The head of the Electric Vehicle Council, Ross De Range, reports that only six EV fires have been recorded in Australia since 2010. One of them was deliberately set on fire, another caught fire following a crash, and three burned in a fire that engulfed several vehicles.
While the numbers are very low in Australia, we have been reporting EV fires at least once a month, happening in the US or in Europe.
Compared to petrol and diesel vehicle fires, EV fires have quite a low rate. Fire Rescue NSW reports that around 2,500 internal combustion engine-powered cars catch fire in Australia every year.
For the past few years, fire brigades have been searching for new methods to extinguish fires, with the car being sunk in a water bin being the most common. Burying it or covering it with an especially developed blanket that supresses the oxygen are also modern ways to put out the blaze.
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