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

[RobotGrease]

its now being called an "accident". Does that mean collision? or is a fire alone referred to as an accident?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/te...nvolving-model-s-car-2013-11-07?siteid=yhoof2

 

[yobigd20]

Reuters is reporting that Tesla has told them this was the result of another accident.

The company said the fire was the result of an accident and was not a spontaneous event.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the incident occurred on Interstate 24 in Smyrna around 1:30 pm.
"It's possible that it ran over a piece of metal in the roadway and it got up in the engine compartment," police dispatcher Kathy Bryant said. "There was extensive damage."

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/autos-tesla-model-s-fire-idINDEE9A60A520131107

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BTW, Reuter's is getting some of it's data directly from this thread.

The Tesla Motors Club website is running pictures and a story about another fire involving a Model S on Wednesday afternoon that a company spokeswoman confirmed.

 

[Thumper]

In a FUNCTIONING democracy, Fox could not lie day in and day out and keep its licence to broadcast. LOL

 

[scaesare]

"engine compartment"?

Hmm... I wonder if they are referring to pack damage, or perhaps the motor/inverter assembly?

 

[GDH]

Reuters is reporting that Tesla has told them this was the result of another accident.

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http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/autos-tesla-model-s-fire-idINDEE9A60A520131107

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BTW, Reuter's is getting some of it's data directly from this thread.



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Oh really?

tmz > reuters

 

[PokerBroker]

Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Hyundai (all cars that I have owned) have never contacted me after an accident to ensure that I was ok... I can't wait to wreck my Roadster and get a phone call from Tesla... oh, wait

 

[efusco]

View attachment 34937
See that damage behind the tire? Had to be a collision.

That's a reflection, probably from a large truck...it's even reflected in the tail light, which would be cracked if it were a dent.

 

[manitou820]

Tesla needs to do their homework and release some hard data about number of car fires for high end luxury sport sedans. In my opinion, the generic car fire stats don't hold up because many of those cars are much older model years which either weren't as safe to begin with or they have some electrical issues due to old wiring etc.

I wouldn't be surprised that higher end luxury sport sedans have higher rates because they are driven at higher speeds and more aggressively. But three fires this close together does not look good at all. So the big question, is it more of a function of the class of car (high end luxury sports sedans) or the design of the Tesla itself.

 

[Lloyd]

Wow. If there was any doubt in your mind that Fox News has a clear and direct bias against Tesla & the present administration, watch that video.

Look out for what's subtly printed in the background (but not talked about), which facts she is leaving out etc. It's stunning.

I left a comment on that Video about the number of ICE fires earlier, and that this video was being shortsided. Shortly thereafter the comments were disabled on this video.

 

[PokerBroker]

No, but my children were able to pull the door handle and get out if they wanted to. My wife also knew how to open the door to get the kids out if needed. As it stands right now, neither my children or wife would immediately know what to do if the car was in flames and the door handles weren't working.

As far as the 3 fires and if they reached the passenger compartment... what are you expecting me to stay in the car because three previous fires didn't reach the cabin??

I don't really care about the details of the previous fires. The attention just made me realize that I should educate my family on how to get out, because there is a possibility of something like this happening.

People do fire drills with their family at the house... why not with the car. Probably not a bad idea to go over safety drills with ANY car in the event of an accident.

 

[ggies07]

Glad the person is alright, but man, another one of these really puts a bad spot on the company. Now we will have to work even harder to get people to understand switching to an EV is ok. I was hoping for all things to go well with the company and stock this month so when Thanksgiving came and I had to be around my in-laws, I could be in a good position to knock down the naysayers, but this will be hard to do now......

 

[Convert2013]

The large surface area of the battery does statistically expose the Model S to more damage than a car with a smaller gas tank, if impact at the bottom is severe enough. Meaning the chances of a high energy object hitting the battery is higher than the chances of hitting a gas tank. To mitigate this they may need to consider providing further protection to the underbody. All depends on how the accident happened. Will have to see.

 

[hoang51]

The large surface area of the battery does statistically expose the Model S to more damage than a car with a smaller gas tank, if impact at the bottom is severe enough. Meaning the chances of a high energy object hitting the battery is higher than the chances of hitting a gas tank. To mitigate this they may need to consider providing further protection to the underbody. All depends on how the accident happened. Will have to see.

This is quite true. However, statistically so far, if this third fire accident is like the first fire, the front side of the battery pack is the most vulnerable place because right now, the first and third fires started at the front of the vehicle. But if there would need to be a redesign for tougher protection, it would be best to protect the entire battery compartment at the cost of being safe than sorry.

 

[tray loader]

The large surface area of the battery does statistically expose the Model S to more damage than a car with a smaller gas tank, if impact at the bottom is severe enough. Meaning the chances of a high energy object hitting the battery is higher than the chances of hitting a gas tank. To mitigate this they may need to consider providing further protection to the underbody. All depends on how the accident happened. Will have to see.

Yep.
Let me remind You who has the bigger b***s, but still plastic protection:

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

No, but my children were able to pull the door handle and get out if they wanted to. My wife also knew how to open the door to get the kids out if needed. As it stands right now, neither my children or wife would immediately know what to do if the car was in flames and the door handles weren't working.

As far as the 3 fires and if they reached the passenger compartment... what are you expecting me to stay in the car because three previous fires didn't reach the cabin??

I don't really care about the details of the previous fires. The attention just made me realize that I should educate my family on how to get out, because there is a possibility of something like this happening.

I agree that it's a good thing to drill your kids how on to get out of a burning car. But that has nothing to do with with Tesla fires and all with car fires. But I fully understand you're now realizing this because of the attention these fires are getting, and that's a good thing.

 

[TSLAopt]

Glad the person is alright, but man, another one of these really puts a bad spot on the company. Now we will have to work even harder to get people to understand switching to an EV is ok. I was hoping for all things to go well with the company and stock this month so when Thanksgiving came and I had to be around my in-laws, I could be in a good position to knock down the naysayers, but this will be hard to do now......

This is a short term setback in the perception of the public. A year from now no one will be reporting on the 1 in 10,000 Model S fires that happen each year from driving over metallic debris. Sure people will talk about it, but its still the safest and best car out there. Safest in that no one has died and perhaps that will be the bigger story one day, the fact that there are no fatalities with the Model S despite some horrific accidents (ie. Mexico). If people were dying from these fires then we'd have something to worry about, but everyone has been safe and insurance pays for a new Model S. Perhaps insurance premiums for the Model S will creep up a small amount but that is the only long term drawback I see here.

as an owner and long term investor I am not worried.

 

[Amitch1]

OMG! The sky is falling!! I'm selling my GM, Ford and MOPAR stocks for I saw these cars in accidents yesterday alone!! Let's put this into perspective folks ... geesus!

 

[smartypnz]

Well, since some of the Media are quoting this forum (some as fact, some hilarious), I want to give the real reason for the fire.

Yesterday's Tesla was hit by a meteor. Tesla's seem to be prone to Meteor hits as opposed to other manufacturers based on frequency of meteor hits per miles driven.

 

[dave]

I agree that it's a good thing to drill your kids how on to get out of a burning car. But that has nothing to do with with Tesla fires and all with car fires.

Well, it kinda does have to do with Tesla, because Tesla is the only car where the rear door handles don't work if power is lost. I've never felt the need for a car "fire drill" in other cars, because my kids would just open the door like they do at any other time.

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

The large surface area of the battery does statistically expose the Model S to more damage than a car with a smaller gas tank, if impact at the bottom is severe enough. Meaning the chances of a high energy object hitting the battery is higher than the chances of hitting a gas tank. To mitigate this they may need to consider providing further protection to the underbody. All depends on how the accident happened. Will have to see.

We may indeed be seeing the signs of a structural design flaw of the Model S here. It's the first car that has the battery in the (whole) floor. This has many advantages (lot of internal space, protection of passenger compartment from side impact and from intrusions from below), but it's also becoming apparent that it's a large area for road debris to strike. Maybe a thicker protection sheet is required.