Tesla Battery Fire Defended By Elon Musk As Safer, Says Model S Design Saved The Driver
The Tesla battery fire in the Model S roadster prompted Tesla CEO Elon Musk to defend his company’s Tesla battery design.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a Tesla Model S roadster electric vehicle burst into flames on the road and the whole thing was caught on camera.
Reports claim the Tesla battery fire was very difficult to put out. Firefighters quickly discovered that using regular water only intensified the chemical flames so they turned to using dry chemical extinguishers. The crew had to cut off the front end of the Tesla Model S roadster and apply water directly into the battery pack in order to finally put the flames out.
Stock markets responded to the Tesla battery fire incident by dropping Tesla Motors shares by more than six percent, although they recovered 4.4 percent on Friday. This incident of course prompted Elon Musk to respond to the Tesla battery controversy.
Elon Musk claims the Tesla Model S battery pack is five times safer than a conventional gasoline car when it comes to the same type of accident:
“For consumers concerned about fire risk, there should be absolutely zero doubt that it is safer to power a car with a battery than a large tank of highly flammable liquid.”
Apparently, a large metal object fell off a semi truck and pierced the quarter-inch-thick armored underplating of the Tesla model S, penetrating into the front module of the Tesla battery pack. This three inch hole sparked a chemical fire in the Tesla battery pack’s front modules, but internal firewalls protected the rear modules from the heat. Internal vents prevented the fire from spreading through all 16 modules by pushing flames away from the vehicle.
A similar accident in a gasoline car might have caused the entire gas tank to explode at once. American drivers suffer from an estimated 194,000 vehicle fires each year.
Because of the Tesla battery pack design, Elon Musk claims the driver was saved:
“It is important to note that the fire in the battery was contained to a small section near the front by the internal firewalls built into the pack structure. At no point did fire enter the passenger compartment. The Model S owner was nonetheless able to exit the highway as instructed by the onboard alert system, bring the car to a stop and depart the vehicle without injury.”
Here’s the video of the Tesla battery fire:
Do you agree with Elon Musk’s explanation of the Tesla battery fire?
