Charles McGarvey, chief of the Lower Merion Fire Department, said that a 2021 Tesla Model S plaid sedan caught fire in Haverford, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night while the owner was driving.
Tesla started delivering Model S Plaid in June, which is a high-performance transformation of its flagship electric car. Previously, CEO Elon Musk stated in the Qorogen Experience podcast that they will start delivery in February
Musk explained in April that development involves “more challenges than expected”, adding that “a lot of development is needed to ensure the safety of the batteries in the new S and X.” The owner’s
lawyer told CNBC that he was careful When his 2021 Model S Plaid smoked from the rear, he tried to unlock and open the door, but because the lock seemed to be malfunctioning, he had to get out of the car forcibly. After getting off the car, it began to move on its own, and the flames engulfed it. The identity of the owner of has not been disclosed and is represented by Mark Geragos of Los Angeles Geragos & Geragos and Jason Setchen of Athlete Defender in Miami.
McGarvey said that two firefighters worked at the scene for more than 3 hours to deal with the emergency.
Firefighters removed the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid to a complex to safely store it overnight, McGarvey said. The owner since had the car removed from that facility, McGarvey said, and will have the vehicle investigated independently to try to determine the cause of the fire. McGarvey said his teams had been in touch with Tesla and should release more information via public records soon.
This Tesla Model S Plaid caught fire while the driver was at the wheel, according to a local fire department chief and attorneys representing the driver, on June 29, 2021, in Haverford, Pennsylvania
A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told CNBC it is aware of the Tesla vehicle fire in Pennsylvania and is in touch with relevant agencies and the manufacturer to gather more information about the incident. “If data or investigations show a defect or an inherent risk to safety exists, NHTSA will take action as appropriate to protect the public,” the spokesperson said.
Another federal vehicle safety watchdog, the National Transportation Safety Board, is not conducting an investigation, it told CNBC.
Tesla is expected to disclose how many vehicles it produced and delivered last quarter in the coming days. It has not yet said how many new Model S or Model S Plaid cars it has delivered to customers.
