Shanghai social media were abuzz on April 22, 2019. It seemed a Tesla Model S caught fire in a public parking garage after smoking for a while. When a Tesla Model S explodes suddenly after a good run for the brand, this raises questions that need urgent answering.
Why Was Nothing Done Before the Tesla Model S Explodes?
People can be seen walking back and forth past the car in the video shortly before it gives off visible fumes from the rear. We understand and respect Chinese people are restrained. However surely someone should have smelled something and given the alarm.
Moreover, and this is the scary bit why don’t we hear a smoke alarm sounding a warning. The explosion would have burned anyone seriously caught in the fireball. When a Tesla Model S explodes that decisively after fuming we are clearly watching a case of thermal runaway in the battery pack. Tesla says it has dispatched a team to investigate but ‘there are no known casualties’.
Nothing Much Happens for a While in the Parking Garage and Then …
Is This a Flash Back to the String of 2013 Incidents?
Things have been going better for Tesla Motors since the series of battery fires in 2013. Most have happened while the electric cars were in motion, or directly after a collision.
Thermal runaways usually occur, if they do at all, during fast charging or following a short circuit. The white car in question shows no sign of hooking to a charger or having suffered damage. Therefore, what happened that Sunday night remains a mystery for now that Tesla needs to resolve soon as it can.
Tesla continues to make a leading contribution to the greening of road transport. Therefore we believe what happened in the Shanghai parking garage should in no way reflect on the general integrity of its products.
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Managing Thermal Runaway in EV Batteries
Preview Image: Tesla Model S Explodes in Shanghai Parking Garage
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/ksJZrZG6eLw
