NHTSA Opens Formal investigation into Safety of Tesla Model S

Tesla'sTSLA was uploaded to Youtube titled “Tesla car on fire” which clearly showed a Model S engulfed in flames with firefighters on the scene. The video was filmed by a passing car originally from a far distance, but as the videographer passes closer he was surprised to identify the car as a Tesla. The video has been played over three million times and has been attributed to causing shares of Tesla dropping sharply on October 1st. Normally three instances of cars catching on fire within a six week period would not warrant the attention of the U.S. government's auto safety watchdog, as there are around 194,000 vehicle fires each year. Given the fact that Tesla cars are fully electric and contain no fuel indicate a dire warning sign. The NHTSA indicated that fires broke out in two of the cars after the undercarriage hit metal road debris. The debris pierced the batteries and caused a fire through thermal reactions. In a detailed response to the first reported fire, Tesla concluded the damage was caused by a “curved section that fell off a semi-trailer.” The geometry of the object “caused a powerful lever action as it went under the car, punching upward and impaling the Model S with a peak force on the order of 25 tons. Only a force of this magnitude would be strong enough to punch a three inch diameter hole through the quarter inch armor plate protecting the base of the vehicle.” According to insideevs.com, a blog dedicated towards electric vehicles, the company's CEO Elon Musk requested the NHTA has opened preliminary evaluation to examine the potential risks associated with undercarriage strikes. A recall on the Model S could be possible, although a decision is likely months away. “While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars,” Musk was quoted as saying. In a blog posted to Tesla's website, Musk defended his car's safety record by concluding that statistically a driver is five times more likely to experience a fire in a conventional gasoline car than a Tesla. Musk also claimed that the “theoretical probability of a fire injury is already vanishingly small, and the actual number to date is zero.” In all instances, the car warned the drivers of the damage, and there are no reports of personal injury.