Concerns Raised as Tesla Model 3 Spontaneously Combusts!

One of the biggest (and legitimate) concerns surrounding the expansion of electric cars on our roads generally tends to fall upon the batteries. Put simply, lithium-ion has a very messy production cycle (in terms of mining/pollution), and worse, when something goes wrong, they tend to flame up in a pretty spectacular, and alarmingly quick, fashion. – Well, such worries have again seemingly be raised as a Tesla Model 3 has reportedly just spontaneously combusted… Again.

Tesla Model 3 Spontaneously Combusts!

Coming in a report via ChipHell, the Tesla Model 3 in question here was reportedly parked inside an underground garage in Qibao Town, China. While it’s unclear at the time of writing whether the vehicle was currently being charged, images have surfaced online showing the absolutely devastating aftermath of the fire.

We should note that, at least at the time of writing, it’s not been confirmed whether the battery was the direct cause/source of the fire, but rest assured it certainly played a key factor in this car being absolutely gutted within literally minutes!

It’s Not The First Time Either…

This isn’t the first time that a Tesla has seemingly decided to spontaneously combust. For example, back in 2019 images were released showing a Model S (also coincidentally in China) initially smoke and then practically explode with fire. – In this particular example, it does not appear that the car was being charged, but it does seem pretty clear that the battery was the direct cause in this instance.

Given the devastation left by such a blaze, it’s clearly difficult to exactly pinpoint what the cause was in either occurence. At the same time though, and putting the exceptionally combustible nature of the lithium-ion battery to one side, it’s also well-known that even minor faults, light damage, incorrect charging methods, or unexpectedly high external temperatures can lead to literally explosive results in practically the blink of an eye.

What Do We Think?

I’m certainly not going to suggest for one second that a Tesla car is unsafe. There are way too many examples of them on our roads not turning into infernos to say that the battery technology does seem good if not excellent. I daresay, however, that Tesla will not appreciate such publicity and some investigations will be made to endeavor to find out what went wrong.

I mean, you can’t rule out the possibility of a faulty charging station causing damage to the batteries, and, overall, I see this as a far more likely source of the initial fault that led to the fires. It is, after all, more than a little strange that both of these incidents occurred in China. A country that, and let’s be polite, has something of a reputation for cutting costs wherever possible. – I mean, do you think a public charging station in China would be better than one in Europe?…

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!