Tesla has generously donated a Model 3, previously involved in a fiery accident, to an organization dedicated to electric vehicle (EV) fire safety research.
Referred to as “Testla” by the Australian safety group EV FireSafe, the wrecked Model 3 underwent thorough examination following its total loss in a fiery collision in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, back in September. The EV FireSafe team, in collaboration with Tesla employees and the Victorian County Fire Authority, dedicated six hours to dismantling the damaged battery pack from the Model 3 as part of a joint fire investigation.
While a detailed timeline of Testla’s deconstruction is in the works, along with additional insights from the process, EV FireSafe has already shared its preliminary findings with the NSW Association of Fire Investigators.
Initial reports reveal that the Model 3 encountered an 18 kg truck tail shaft on the road, causing severe damage to the battery pack and triggering thermal runaway. It took over thirty minutes for the Penrose Rural Fire Brigade to extinguish the resulting fire. Notably, further investigation indicated that the battery pack had completely burned out, lowering the risk of a secondary ignition.
During the initial presentation, Glenn Pröbstl, EV FireSafe’s Shipping and Automotive Lead, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the fire investigation. He highlighted the remarkable expertise demonstrated by the six-member Model 3 teardown team, with a Tesla technician from the Asia-Pacific region praising their work as surpassing even that of veteran technicians in the U.S.
Pröbstl extended gratitude to Tesla for its invaluable assistance throughout the investigation process.
According to Ross De Rango, head of energy and infrastructure at the Electric Vehicle Council, incidents of EV battery-related fires remain infrequent, with only six recorded cases in Australia since 2010. In contrast, Fire Rescue NSW reports approximately 2,500 incidents of petrol and diesel vehicle fires annually. De Rango emphasized the significantly lower incidence rate of EV fires compared to traditional vehicles, estimating them to occur one-tenth to one-twentieth as often.
