Fortunately, the driver quickly noticed smoke emanating from the undercarriage and was able to pull over and safely exit the vehicle. No one was injured, but the fire reportedly became very intense and spread to the front of the car, leaving it effectively demolished. Metro Fire Sacramento determined that the cause of the blaze was a battery fire.
Why did a Tesla spontaneously combust while driving?
Answer: A problem with the battery.
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A Tesla driver in California got quite the shock over the weekend when their Model S suddenly decided to go out in a blaze of glory (literally). The vehicle suddenly caught fire while being driven down US 50 near Sacramento.
Fortunately, the driver quickly noticed smoke emanating from the undercarriage and was able to pull over and safely exit the vehicle. No one was injured, but the fire reportedly became very intense and spread to the front of the car, leaving it effectively demolished. Metro Fire Sacramento determined that the cause of the blaze was a battery fire.
That also meant that extinguishing it was no simple task. Since lithium ion batteries burn very fast and very hot when they catch fire, it took one hour, three fire engines and 6,000 gallons of water to fully extinguish the fire. According to Metro Fire Sacramento, putting out a traditional combustion engine fire only takes about 700 gallons of water by comparison.
Fortunately, the driver quickly noticed smoke emanating from the undercarriage and was able to pull over and safely exit the vehicle. No one was injured, but the fire reportedly became very intense and spread to the front of the car, leaving it effectively demolished. Metro Fire Sacramento determined that the cause of the blaze was a battery fire.
