Tesla Catches Fire In China, Automaker Blames Repair Shop

Name: Tesla Catches Fire In China, Automaker Blames Repair Shop
Uploaded: 2019-08-20T13:23:00Z
Description: Despite the fact that EVs pose less of a fire risk than gas-powered cars, these recent and recurring Tesla fires lead people to believe the opposite.

Tesla fires, regardless of cause, lead people to believe EVs are risky.

Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Aug 20, 2019 at 9:23am ET

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Another Tesla went up in flames in China. This particular incident involved a Model S that was at a repair shop in Hangzhou. Despite the fact that the repair shop is a Tesla-authorized partner (third-party repair shop), the automaker is saying the cause of the fire is due to the shop's negligence.

More specifically, Tesla told Electrek that the Hangzhou shop didn't handle the situation correctly. Apparently, the Model S' battery had been damaged by water. Because of the significant water damage, the battery pack should have been handled in a specific way.

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It's important to note that Tesla doesn't generally handle collision repairs at its own service centers. Instead, third-party repair shops become certified by the automaker to handle these repairs. While some do a solid job, others have been blamed for issues in the past. However, since Tesla chose to go this route and certifies them, the negative press ends up falling on the automaker.

As you can see from the video, the firefighter must break into the shop in the middle of the night by cutting down the garage door. They responded to the scene after someone reported noticing smoke. The fire took over an hour to put out. Now, the shop is closed until further notice. A related media report shared by Electrek states:

"After the firefighters broke the shutters, they found that the building was full of smoke and the visibility was very low. After searching, it was found that there were flames and black smoke under the hood of a Tesla. The meter box next to it was also on fire, and the firefighters immediately began to extinguish the fire."

Video Description via The Paper on YouTube:

A Tesla car went on fire in a repair shop in Hangzhou

A #Tesla car went on fire in a repair shop in #Hangzhou in the early morning of Aug. 18. Firemen took 1.5 hours to put it out and are investigating the causes. ~30 Tesla cars are still parked nearby as the repair shop has stopped operations.

Source: Electrek