A Tesla Model Y, which was short as a taxi in Sweden, has burned up after the fashion with a guardrail. The joint punched a hole in the undercarriage.
A Tesla Model Y caught fire on a highway in Sweden after a gash in the car's undercarriage was caused by a collision with a guardrail.
The accident took place on Kyrkbron in central Umeå, where the car, which served as a taxi, quickly caught fire. The driver escaped unhurt from the incident, but the car was completely burnt out.
According to an eyewitness, the flames arose immediately after the clash.
– I saw when it happened and was surprised. It just bounced right up the center rail and almost looked like it was going into the river.
– It started to burn very quickly and strongly. I thought at first that the driver would be injured, but saw that he got out of the car and looked unharmed, says eyewitness Hussein, who witnessed the accident.
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The emergency services arrived quickly, but it was not possible to extinguish the fire in the car. According to the rescue manager, the situation was unusual and difficult to handle.
– It had a long gash on the underside. The car had to burn out, it was better for everyone. We mostly stood and watched. About an hour passed before it burned out.
– There were several small explosions under the car. When they stopped, there was still some fire in the cabin. We got the fire out so the car could be salvaged in the morning, says the rescue manager to the newspaper VK .
The accident was caused by the bumper damaging the car's battery, which led to a quick and violent fire. The rescue manager emphasizes that early intervention can make a difference in fires in electric cars. But if the flames spread, it becomes very difficult to control.
– If we are quick with water and manage to cool them down, we can switch off a large battery. But when it starts to burn in several places at the same time, it becomes increasingly difficult to put it out."
Statistics show that electric cars catch fire less often than petrol and diesel cars, but the fires can be complex to deal with.
– It was said at the beginning that the smoke from electric cars was ten times more toxic than other cars. That is not true. When tests are done, it shows that electric car fires are toxic. But not much more toxic than a fire in an ordinary car," says the rescue manager to VK .
