Leading American electric automaker Tesla has just donated a destroyed Model 3 unit to a fire safety investigation in Australia, highlighting its commitment to improving electric vehicle safety, County Local News reports.
“Testla” initiative
As per the report, the destroyed electric sedan in discussion suffered an accident in New South Wales in September last year.
The initiative, dubbed “Testla,” will now serve as a crucial aspect of a fire safety investigation in Australia.
The EV FireSafe, a group of Australian emergency responders for electric vehicle-related fire accidents, reportedly spent six long hours extracting the damaged battery pack out of the Tesla electric sedan.
The team apparently plans to deliver more thorough details of Testla’s teardown, including the timeline and additional data. For now, EV FireSafe has only released the initial results of the investigation with the NSW Association of Fire Investigators.
Key findings
As per the EV FireSafe team, the Tesla Model 3 hit an 18 kg truck tail shaft that had fallen off a nearby truck. It severely destroyed the electric sedan’s battery pack, resulting in a thermal runaway.
The battery pack of the destroyed Tesla Model 3 caught fire, and it took over half an hour for the Penrose Rural Fire Brigade to extinguish it. The EV FireSafe’s investigation revealed that the battery pack had burned out, reducing the probability of a secondary ignition.
“We thought we knew what had caused the battery fire – you’ve got an 18kg chunk of steel there so that’s a clue. But once we got it up on the hoist, we could confirm that was the cause of the thermal runaway because we could see the impact point and where the tail shaft had torn open a module. It wasn’t a random event.”
EV FireSafe CEO Emma Sutcliffe
EV FireSafe Shipping and Automotive Lead Glenn Pröbstl asserted that the investigation’s initial presentation was worthwhile, expressing a “massive thanks to Tesla for the assistance they gave.”
Significance
Such fire safety investigation initiatives are indeed significant, especially amid the growing shift to electric vehicles.
As per Electric Vehicle Council Energy and Infrastructure head Ross De Rango, EV battery-induced fires remain “uncommon.” There were only apparently six EV fire records in Australia since 2010, Perth Now reported.
“If we look at the annual reports from Fire Rescue NSW, they roll out to about 2,500 petrol and diesel vehicle fires every year. The relative rates of these vehicle fires are such that EVs catch fire about one-tenth to one-twentieth as often as petrol and diesel vehicles.”
Ross De Rango, Electric Vehicle Council Energy and Infrastructure head
Despite this relatively low rate, the electric vehicle industry can still do better to substantially improve the safety of the new automotive technology. Therefore, these kinds of initiatives can significantly enhance emergency responders’ skills and preparedness in combatting electric vehicle battery-caused fires in the future.
This partnership demonstrates Tesla’s determination to advance the overall safety and development of electric vehicle technology, potentially enticing people to join the shift to sustainable mobility.
