Indian family’s Tesla catches fire and explodes: Lucky escape for siblings [Video]

Electric vehicles are often in news for catching fire. Tesla, the leading manufacturer of electric cars in the world has been in similar fire incidents in the past as well. Last month, an Indian family had a narrow escape as their Tesla Model S caught fire and exploded following the fire.

The incident happened in Sacramento, California, USA. The driver of the car pulled to the shoulder of the road before the car exploded and became an inferno. Videos of the incident show how massive the fire was and how it engulfed the whole vehicle.

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One of the videos shared by the fire department shows the exact moment when the fire reached underneath of the car. It engulfed the entire cabin within seconds. At first, the video shows a small fire underneath the vehicle. As the smoke starts to rise from the right-hand side of the car, an explosive flame spits out and shrouds the vehicle in flames.

Crews arrived to a Tesla Model S engulfed in flames, nothing unusual prior. 2 Fire Engines, a water tender, and a ladder truck were requested to assist. Crews used jacks to access the underside to extinguish and cool the battery. Thousands of gallons were used in extinguishment. pic.twitter.com/5dIXxo9hP5

— Metro Fire of Sacramento (@metrofirepio) January 29, 2023

We can see pillars of thick smoke around the vehicle. The fire department says that the car caught fire spontaneously while travelling at freeway speeds. The whole operation of dousing the fire took about 6000 gallons or about 2,300 litres of water. The fire department jacked up the car and forced water directly on the battery that are installed on the floor of the vehicle. According to the department, this is Tesla’s suggested response to the Model S battery fire.

In an interview with local news, driver Sunit Mayall recounts her experience. She says that she pulled over to the side of the road after hearing popping sounds from underneath the vehicle. She realised that the car has caught fire. She stopped the car and ran away from the vehicle with her brother who was in the passenger seat. He says in the video that they tried reaching out to Tesla but are yet to hear back from the American brand.

EV batteries are susceptible to fire

Modern electric cars powered by Lithium-ion batteries are prone to catch fire. The batteries are highly flammable but most manufacturers take the extra steps and care to ensure that the batteries are puncture-proof and waterproof. Any kind of damage to the batteries can cause a fire.

There have been several fire incidents around the world involving electric vehicles. In India, many electric two-wheelers have caught fire and even caused the government to form a team to form a guideline for the electric vehicle manufacturers in India.

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