Video of Tesla Model 3 highway debris strike fire fuels EV safety discussion

A recent Tesla Model 3 fire caught on video and shared by the State Of Charge YouTube channel has reignited the debate about electric vehicle fires and thermal runaway when damage occurs. In this particular incident, the car seems to have suffered a debris strike to the bottom of the battery pack from a piece of metal on the road. As a result of the battery pack being punctured by this debris, the vehicle caught fire and ultimately burned out.

According to the driver of the vehicle, the Model 3 started displaying warnings on the display shortly after running over a piece of metal in the road, prompting them to pull over. Once on the side of the road, the battery pack started smoking and then burst into flames. The fire department had to extinguish the vehicle numerous times before it eventually went out for good, highlighting the dangers of thermal runaway and damage to EV batteries.

EV battery fires have been a concern since the Tesla Model S had its infamous NHTSA investigation that resulted in Tesla fitting titanium and aluminium shielding to the vehicle's underbelly, drastically reducing the number of fires caused by debris strikes. The lack of reports about Tesla Model 3 fires indicates that this model seemingly doesn't suffer from an inherent design flaw that exacerbates debris strikes. Overall, electric vehicles appear to be less likely to catch fire than their petrol-powered counterparts, with some reports claiming that EVs are in the neighbourhood of 20 times less likely to catch fire.

Another incident in Australia early in September reportedly saw another Model 3 driver run over a piece of debris from the back of a truck, ultimately resulting in a similarly toasty outcome — fortunately, neither of the blazes in question were deadly. While EVs may statistically catch fire less frequently than ICE cars, the public perception on electric vehicles is likely to be tainted by reports detailing the dangers of battery fires and the difficulty fire departments have with putting them out.

If public perception is to be kept in-tact, EV makers may need to put battery shielding high on the priority list.

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