What precautions does the car take when in an accident with regard to the batteries?

[tdiggity]

I saw this question on Quora: Tesla Motors Inc.: What would it be like to get into an accident in a Tesla and damage batteries? - Quora

What checks are there? Can the batteries catch fire?

Understandably, anything can happen. ICE cars can leak gas and catch fire in an accident.

 

[Raven]

I saw this question on Quora: Tesla Motors Inc.: What would it be like to get into an accident in a Tesla and damage batteries? - Quora

What checks are there? Can the batteries catch fire?

Understandably, anything can happen. ICE cars can leak gas and catch fire in an accident.

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/features#/safety

Battery automatically disconnects itself.

 

[ChadS]

A service tech explained some of the features to me once. I can't remember them all, but they have g-force sensors (just like for airbags) that will disconnect the battery. And the battery has had all the air pumped out so it has pressure sensors; if the case cracks and air gets in, it will disconnect the battery. And it has current sensors; if the current suddenly spikes as in a short, it will disconnect the battery. It seems there was at least one more.

Some Roadsters have been in some pretty nasty accidents, but I don't recall anything bad ever happening with the battery. That's not to say nothing bad will ever happen; but I'm convinced it's way safer than carrying gas around.

 

[Doug_G]

As I recall there are also tilt (as in rollover) and immersion (as in drive into the lake) sensors.