On March 4th, reports indicate that the Australian safety organization EV FireSafe recently dismantled a Tesla Model 3 that had been involved in a serious accident in New South Wales in September 2023, where it was extensively damaged by fire.
The organization referred to the vehicle as "Testla" and conducted a joint fire investigation with Tesla employees and the Victoria State Fire Authority.
With the assistance of Tesla personnel, EV FireSafe removed the vehicle's battery and conducted an investigation. They found that:
The vehicle collided with a truck that dropped an 18kg driveshaft while in motion, leading to thermal runaway of the battery pack and subsequently causing a fire. It took firefighters approximately 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
The entire vehicle was nearly reduced to rubble, but evidence of the impact was still visible on the chassis.
However, it's worth noting that despite this electric vehicle (EV) fire incident involving the Model 3, such occurrences are rare in Australia.
Ross De Rango, the Director of the Australian Electric Vehicle Council for Energy and Infrastructure, stated that since 2010, Australia has only recorded six incidents of EV battery fires.
The annual report from the New South Wales Fire Department states that they handle around 2500 vehicle fires each year, with the probability of EV fires being approximately 1/10 to 1/20 that of gasoline-powered cars.
