Tesla, the electric car maker, is not having a good couple of months.
After an incident involving a vehicle under test in Beijing that was being operated via the Autopilot system, another test drive in France resulted in yet another type of tragedy.
According to a series of news reports, Tesla was in the city of Biarritz, France to promote its Model S and X vehicles this past weekend when a test drive in a Model S90D resulted in a fire. The vehicle was being driven when an alert signal came up on the dashboard, warning the driver that a “charging” issue had been found. Promptly, the Tesla employee in attendance urged the driver to pull over and park. The three of them then exited the vehicle.
Moments after this exchange, the vehicle caught on fire.
Firefighters were able to put out the flames moments later, but the vehicle had been fully destroyed as a result.
According to the company, Tesla is in contact with members of the Tesla Motors Club in France after this incident. Monitoring for any further issues.
Many safety experts agree with Tesla when the company defends its safety record by saying that gas-fueled vehicles are involved in more fire-related incidents than all-electric ones. But they also claims that the fire that took place in France is unlike the past fires involving Tesla vehicles.
In the past, the company was under heavy scrutiny after fiery incidents involving Tesla vehicles took place after collisions. In order to ensure this issue wouldn’t continue, the company started adding titanium shields to the bottom of the battery pack. But since this fiery incident is different from all other incidents in the past, the company may have to investigate further to identify the leading factor.
Until we learn more, it’s important to stay on top of these news, especially if you’re a Tesla owner or a Tesla enthusiast.
To stay informed, visit our blog or click here for more details. Do not wait until your Tesla vehicle is involved in a fiery incident for you to act. Putting pressure on automakers to put safety ahead of profits can help to keep them accountable.
