Shanghai Tesla Spontaneously Caught Fire Igniting Two Cars
Smoke rose from a Tesla. Six seconds later, flames spread from the burning car to ignite two cars in an underground parking lot in Shanghai on April 21.
No casualties have been confirmed. Causes of fire are still unknown as of April 22, when Tesla responded on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
A Tesla Model S caught on fire in Shanghai. The car seemingly burst into flames on its own. The incident was caught on camera. pic.twitter.com/QEShc4SqnG
— Pandaily (@thePandaily) April 22, 2019
“As soon as we found out about the incident in Shanghai, we sent out a team to the spot. We are actively contacting related departments and cooperating to confirm details,” said Tesla.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Deeper in Trouble in China
Residents in the community told media that they were evacuated when the fire broke out. Fifteen fire trucks came to help. They put out the fire 39 minutes after the arrival.
A Tesla, an Audi and a Lexus were trapped in the fire with Tesla being damaged the most.
This isn’t the first time a Tesla has caught on fire.
In 2018, Teslas catching fire caused at least four people dead globally in the first two seasons. Most fires were due to car crashes.
The aluminum made body structure is one of Tesla’s Achilles’ heels. “When the battery or the car catches fire, thermal runaway can happen in cells, which would create high temperature. Aluminum has a low melting point and fast heating conduction, and people inside can thus be hurt,” said Wang, a new energy car engineer.
Featured photo credit to Tesla
