Li Auto Denies Flaws in Li ONE the Cause of Chengdu Car Fire
In response to a recent incident involving a Li ONE vehicle model bursting into flames in Chengdu, China’s Sichuan Province, Li Auto posted on Weibo on August 4, asserting that the EV maker believes the accident was not caused by flaws in the vehicle itself.
The incident occurred on the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway on August 1. After the fire was extinguished, only the vehicle’s frame remained. Some passengers were injured in the accident and were sent to hospital.
Li Auto said that when the vehicle caught fire, its extended range system, oil circuit system, high voltage power supply system, low voltage power supply system and three electric systems (including a power battery, drive motor and motor controller) all worked normally, without any short circuit or fuel leakage problems. There were also no abnormalities in vehicle voltage, current or fuel pressure.
Technicians probed the vehicle and found that the appearance of the battery pack showed no signs of burning or obvious deformation, and the foam buffer inside the battery pack also showed no signs of burning.
Following the comprehensive analysis of video and vehicle data, Li Auto believes such a big fire that occurred within the cabin in just nine seconds was not caused by the vehicle itself. It is suspected that inflammable and explosive materials inside the vehicle were ignited. Li Auto is keeping in touch with the vehicle owner, providing necessary support, and it will also cooperate with the fire department to investigate the cause of the fire.
In addition, as of August 1, 200,000 Li ONEs had been produced. At present, Li ONE is the only Li Auto model that has been delivered, and its delivery volume reached 10,422 units in July, down 20% from June.
