Ugh. Another Model S fire - 2013-11-06

[AmpedRealtor]

From a PR standpoint, Elon Musk should say nothing. He already made a statement after the first road debris fire in Kent, WA. Now that the NHTSA is involved, let that play out and once the investigation is complete, Musk can issue a press release to better frame the NHTSA findings and add some context. Tesla will either be heralding the Model S as the safest car ever, or they will be doing a lot of damage control.

Model S'more... sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[JRP3]

I disagree. The NHTSA stating there is no safety issue is not the same as saying a catastrophic event will never happen.

I agree, but I'm quite sure that if there is another fire after NHTSA signs off on it they will indeed investigate once again and probably force changes and/or a recall.

There's a good chance it would burn if it was punctured, because it also has a flammable liquid electrolyte, but it probably wouldn't be as intense as Lithium batteries that contain cobalt in the cathode.

I don't think it's the Cobalt as much as the Oxide, O2, which means the cell supplies it's own oxygen when burning.

This is in contrast to the LFP batteries in something like the Spark EV, that probably won't ignite or burn intensely.

Tesla is using a chemistry that has a flammable electrolyte and will release a lot more energy during combustion than some other chemistries, which is why they have a very sophisticated BMS that can isolate modules during a fire and can warn the driver to pull over a exit the vehicle.

All current lithium cells use a flammable electrolyte, including the A123 cells in the SparkEV. However those don't contain O2. On the other hand they are a higher C rate cell so if shorted they can put out much higher currents, which could lead to something else catching on fire. I don't think the BMS in the Tesla does anything to isolate a module during a fire, it's the physical pack construction which accomplishes that.

 

[neroden]

Tell me about it. I had a truck dump pallet tubes in front of me. The only thing that saved me was that I could raise the DS-21's suspension and drive over them. This isn't an option with the Model S as it doesn't raise up all that far.

This is the one thing I would recommend. Tesla should alow a "high suspension at speed" option.

I've driven with the suspension stuck in "very high" (due to a software bug) for 60 miles. It's perfectly safe, although it's (understandably) a rougher ride. The options screen should allow the "automatic suspension drop" to be turned off, enabling "high suspension" driving without software bugs. This would be a trivial software fix which would cost Tesla nothing, and would be beneficial with all manner of debris in the road, including the ice hunks which show up in winter.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I agree, but I'm quite sure that if there is another fire after NHTSA signs off on it they will indeed investigate once again and probably force changes and/or a recall.

Oh, there'll be a congressional hearing too, to boot; I'm sure some members of the House of Reps would be salivating at the prospect of raking another Obamamobile over the coals a la the Volt.

 

[jpsgoneev]

Tennessee owner, Juris Shibayama, MD, describes what happened prior to the 'incident'.

From a Model S owner in Tennessee | Blog | Tesla Motors

 

[ChrisH]

Did anyone else see the Tennessee owner's story that tesla posted on Facebook?

 

[DaveT]

From a Model S owner in Tennessee | Blog | Tesla Motors

 

[yobigd20]

Did anyone else see the Tennessee owner's story that tesla posted on Facebook?

This one From a Model S owner in Tennessee | Blog | Tesla Motors

 

[Raffy.Roma]

The latest fire described by the owner

This story concern the latest fire as described by the owner of the Model S. As you can see the fire started two minutes after that the Model S hit the debris. Nice to see that the dashboard dispaly read: "Please pull over safely. Car is shutting down"


http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-owner-tennessee

 

[elecblue]

Yes I just read this. Seems like the MS is designed to keep all occupants safe, and even instructed the owner to pull over. I'm not aware of any other car that does this.

 

[Curt Renz]

Driver of Burnt Tesla Would Buy Another One in a Hearbeat

Link to commentary from the owner of the Model S that caught fire in Tennessee this week:

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-owner-tennessee

Final paragraph:

"This experience does not in any way make me think that the Tesla Model S is an unsafe car. I would buy another one in a heartbeat."

 

[Curt Renz]

Owner of Burnt Model S Would Buy Another One in a Heartbeat

Link to commentary from the owner of the Tesla Model S that caught fire in Tennessee this week:

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-owner-tennessee

Final paragraph:

"This experience does not in any way make me think that the Tesla Model S is an unsafe car. I would buy another one in a heartbeat."

 

[FredTMC]

Yes I just read this. Seems like the MS is designed to keep all occupants safe, and even instructed the owner to pull over. I'm not aware of any other car that does this.

Excellent post from the actual driver! Safest car in the world. I love my Model S.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Yes I just read this. Seems like the MS is designed to keep all occupants safe, and even instructed the owner to pull over. I'm not aware of any other car that does this.

Agree 100%

 

[xhawk101]

Just had a guy tell me "nice car" I politely said thank you! So then as he is walking off says "haven't been barbecue'd yet huh?"

Wow so I muttered f..er back but unfortunately I don't think he heard me.

Not sure this is the place to post this but wow this means war!

 

[Benz]

Perfect, that's what we needed.
This is good, really good.
I can see TSLA going up again on Monday.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Just had a guy tell me "nice car" I politely said thank you! So then as he is walking off says "haven't been barbecue'd yet huh?"

Wow so I muttered f..er back but unfortunately I don't think he heard me.

Not sure this is the place to post this but wow this means war!

Just let that guy read the article concerning the fire description made by the Model S owner and you will win the war.

 

[v12 to 12v]

Print out a few copies for your glove box. I carry brochures in my car.

 

[manitou820]

Excellent commentary. His comment that nothing inside the cabin burned says a lot about how the car was designed. Very impressive. But this got me thinking. Is it possible there is something in the front of the car that happens to be fairly flammable that is causing the issue? In other words, in a severe impact where the battery is damage and heat is generated, maybe there is something that is easly catching fire outside of the battery pack that causes the fire to spread. The solution maybe to let the damaged battery heat up but never catch anything external on fire. So maybe a more robust fire wall needs to be added or some component that is flammable be moved away from the battery.

 

[Curt Renz]

From a Model S owner in Tennessee | Blog | Tesla Motors

The driver will undoubtedly be providing quite favorable testimony to the NHTSA. Their interest is personal safety and not vehicle damage.