Tesla’s commitment to new technology is what put it on the map, but the way this tech rolls out is always contentious. Lithium-ion batteries, Autopilot and now the Model X’s Falcon doors , which are blamed for a harrowing incident in China.
The “Falcon Wing” rear doors on the Tesla Model X are pretty sweet. Everyone is amazed they… Read more Read more
In February, Lee Tada and her boyfriend were being driven by her chauffeur in the back of her Model X when they crashed into a guardrail, spun 180 degrees and were hit by another car head on, she posted on WeChat this weekend .
Lee and her boyfriend heard the car’s battery cells exploding beneath them, but they couldn’t open the X’s rear Falcon wing doors, stuck shut. They escaped through the front, just moments before the car caught fire.
Lee says that she was in a state of shock at the time and that her boyfriend had to help pull her out of the car.
Here is the dramatic video of the fire, posted Sunday by Electrek
Tesla’s official comment is even-handed but still cites the owner, saying that all cars can catch on fire so this isn’t a big deal:
“We are glad our customer and their passengers are safe. Working closely with authorities to facilitate their report, we have found that the debris field and damage observed indicate a very high speed collision, which can result in fire damage to any kind of vehicle, not just electric vehicles.
In fact, the other car in this incident (a gasoline-powered car) also caught on fire. Incidents of fires are far more likely to occur in traditional gasoline-powered vehicles than in electric vehicles.”
Tesla has a sometimes defensive relationship with owners making claims about its cars getting into crashes. I don’t know how many times someone has found their Model Whatever crashed through a wall and blamed Autopilot, rather than just getting their accelerator and brake pedals confused. Tesla works hard to discredit these claims .
