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Tesla Fire in Shanghai

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Forbes is reporting on this event, but their URL is erroneously calling it a Model 3, which results in internet search engines sometimes thinking the article is about a Model 3 that caught on fire.

Tesla Looks Into Model S Fire Caught On Camera In China

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/billroberson/2019/04/23/tesla-looks-into-model-3-fire-caught-on-camera-in-china/amp/
 
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I park in a garage with 100's of cars & a dozen or so cameras. It is odd that this one camera is focused on few cars. If they did the whole garage like that it may take 100 or more cameras to cover the garage.
There were other cameras. I saw a different part of the garage in one video where you can see the explosion happening. However I would to see the footage from when the car was parked to the fire.
 
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looks like tesla has investigated, has not released any findings. probably couldn't find a way to blame the owners for it.

now releasing software to change the battery management software without saying what it does really.

who's calling fake now.
 
Well. I have to say, I’ve seen videos of thermal runaway battery fires on large packs before. The way this one started looks eerily similar to the ones I’ve seen before. It’s very possible that it’s just a thermal runaway situation.

The cooling system failing would cause this. It would have to be actively charging at the time too.

I’ll wait to see if we ever find out the cause, but to me, it doesn’t look like a hoax or a fix or a scam.
 
It’s blind faith for Tesla at its worst on these forums. You bring up one negative about Tesla and people will pounce on you with “whataboutisms” and telling you how you’re being reasonable.

As a Tesla owner I appreciate you bringing this to our attention and yes sane people and owners should absolutely want to know and hear from Tesla as to what happened here.

To be so blind and try to look away while something so obvious happened, is plain dumb.

For me, it’s not blind faith for Tesla. I want Tesla to find and fix problems. I want for a perfectly safe vehicle. I want them to have great service.

But I do get annoyed with a constant barrage of media, neighbors and others to say about how I should be careful with my car due to all the fires. They all act as if it’s only Tesla that has issues. Meanwhile many of them drive a vehicle that has been recalled for fire risk.
 
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For me, it’s not blind faith for Tesla. I want Tesla to find and fix problems. I want for a perfectly safe vehicle. I want them to have great service.

But I do get annoyed with a constant barrage of media, neighbors and others to say about how I should be careful with my car due to all the fires. They all act as if it’s only Tesla that has issues. Meanwhile many of them drive a vehicle that has been recalled for fire risk.
Very well said. It’s becoming annoying to me answering colleagues remarks about my Tesla and fires and or AP crashes.
I completely understand why Tesla wouldn’t want to make public their findings in the Shanghai fire incident. They are teetering on keeping the company afloat and they don’t need any more bad press. But as an owner I would really like them to tell me what they believe was the honest to god reason it started and what may be done in the future to help mitigate it. I think we are owed the answer at some point. But again I am not losing a lot of sleep over it. 400K cars on the road and almost a billion miles of driving and we have a had a couple(few?) “spontaneous” unexplainable fires.
Doesn’t seem like a great systemic problem IMO.
 
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Very well said. It’s becoming annoying to me answering colleagues remarks about my Tesla and fires and or AP crashes.
I completely understand why Tesla wouldn’t want to make public their findings in the Shanghai fire incident. They are teetering on keeping the company afloat and they don’t need any more bad press. But as an owner I would really like them to tell me what they believe was the honest to god reason it started and what may be done in the future to help mitigate it. I think we are owed the answer at some point. But again I am not losing a lot of sleep over it. 400K cars on the road and almost a billion miles of driving and we have a had a couple(few?) “spontaneous” unexplainable fires.
Doesn’t seem like a great systemic problem IMO.
174,000 vehicle fires in 2015
Easy google search
NFPA statistics - Highway vehicle fires by year
 
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If the fix released in 16.1.1 to run a pump after charging is the answer, I don't like it. My pump has run 8-10 hours after 2 consecutive daily charges using about 8 miles of range in the process. All mechanical devices have a lifetime and that pump is now getting a workout everyday, There is another thread here on TMC about the humming some of us are getting after charging with 16.1.1
 
174,000 vehicle fires in 2015
Easy google search
NFPA statistics - Highway vehicle fires by year
Yes of course.
But I’m referring to a spontaneous fire while sitting doing nothing. Any form of energy that has sustained some type of failure can ignite whether its fuel or battery etc.
I’m more interested in spontaneous combustion while in a garage etc with family home.
Again I’m not overly concerned or I wouldn’t have one. But I still would like to know the root cause if and when they know.
 
Yes of course.
But I’m referring to a spontaneous fire while sitting doing nothing. Any form of energy that has sustained some type of failure can ignite whether its fuel or battery etc.
I’m more interested in spontaneous combustion while in a garage etc with family home.
Again I’m not overly concerned or I wouldn’t have one. But I still would like to know the root cause if and when they know.
BMW’s Parked Cars Are Spontaneously Combusting, and No One Seems to Know Why
 
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OK, cars catch fires, and Teslas are cars. I think the point of this whole video is simply to sow Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (aka FUD) about Teslas, that they somehow might be more prone to burn or that owners should all lay awake nights hoping their car won't spontaneously ignite in the garage.

If someone wanted to be REALLY helpful, they might publish a list of all cars and what PERCENTAGE of them burn for no reason. I can imagine that Teslas burn less often (per thousand cars or per thousand miles) than the gas bombs that are out driving around our roads now. Otherwise, don't bother spewing ignorance or, possibly, hatred, whether this is a Tesla forum or not. It does not make you look intelligent.

You realize, of course, that one gallon of gasoline is equivalent to eight sticks of dynamite. Hmmmm. 20 gallons of gas times eight, carry the two.... On another side note, I remember the Jag that pulled up smoking, burst into flame as the driver and passenger jumped out, and the man running out of his apartment with his little kitchen fire extinguisher. The gas tank somehow leaked, and burning gasoline ran down the gutter igniting the tires of four other cars in front of the Jag, and they all burned beyond salvage before the fire dept could get there. Never heard of a BEV lighting up several other cars.
 
I think the point of this whole video is simply to sow Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (aka FUD) about Teslas, that they somehow might be more prone to burn or that owners should all lay awake nights hoping their car won't spontaneously ignite in the garage.

1. The Shanghai fire video was originally posted (and later deleted) by a local Tesla Model S owner, who you can interrogate as to his motives here. Please do post the results.

2. The Tesla Model S certainly suffers from a notably higher rate of spontaneous combustion (and fire after a crash) than any other mass-produced BEV from an established western OEM, e.g. Nissan LEAF, BMW i3 or VW e-Golf. AFAICT Tesla has thus far neither explained why this happens nor has it issued a recall. My conclusion therefore is that the heightened fire risk is inherent in the design optimised for maximum energy-density, hence range, namely by the combination of an NCA battery chemistry, compact cell construction and making the pack a load-bearing element of the chassis. (It seems though that they have learned something from it, as the Model 3 design seems notably more robust in this respect and as yet has had no spontaneous or crash-induced fire.)

If someone wanted to be REALLY helpful, they might publish a list of all cars and what PERCENTAGE of them burn for no reason. I can imagine that Teslas burn less often (per thousand cars or per thousand miles) than the gas bombs that are out driving around our roads now.

3. You are someone so feel free to bring all the statistics you desire. I personally don't know if Tesla Model S spontaneously combusts more or less often than the average ICE car of the same generation and price class, but tend to think the latter-day models are probably less susceptible to the phenomenon.

Otherwise, don't bother spewing ignorance or, possibly, hatred, whether this is a Tesla forum or not. It does not make you look intelligent.

4. LOL, more excellent passive-aggressive advice addressed to yourself, eh?

Never heard of a BEV lighting up several other cars.

5. By pure coincidence in this Shanghai case the Model S incinerated 5 other cars parked nearby, so now you have.
 
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