For the third time in a matter of six weeks, a Tesla Model S burns on the road due to battery damage. The incident had prompted new questions on the car's advanced lithium-ion batteries.
The fire accident occurred on a Wednesday afternoon at a highway in Smyrna near Nashville, Tenn. According to reports from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the car struck a tow hitch lying in the roadway causing an electrical fire. The car driver had to pull the car over to the road's emergency lane. Luckily, he was uninjured by the incident.
According to the N.Y Times, the burning incident will have to be investigated by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. They plan to contact the local authorities that were assigned to handle the case to find out if there are any vehicle safety implications that would need agency action.
Shares of the fully electric car company are said to have tumbled by more than seven percent to reach $139.77. The company's high-flying stock, which has reached $194 earlier during fall, has been recently placed under pressure as the car manufacturer has warned that it needs to discuss higher research costs and battery shortage.
The recent fire accident was similar to the fire which happened just outside Seattle. Similarly, the driver remained unhurt and the incident had called for federal safety regulators to be outlined. Tesla CEO Elon Musk defended the car and said that it may have been worst if it happened on a conventional car. Nevertheless, the investigation is already closed for that incident and authorities said that the fire was not caused by a defect in the car's design.
The battery in a Tesla car is described as a long, flat slab that is nestled under the passenger compartment. It has the same lithium-ion technology that is usually preferred in most advanced products because of its long life and high power features. The same technology, which has been adapted by cellphones, computers, and the electrical wiring systems of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, has been noted to have certain level of fire susceptibility as well.
