No fire coverage or photos on the Tesla web site.
Upstart Tesla Motors makes it a point to post fawning media coverage of its EVs, but the web site is silent on the “hottest” story this week where a Model S is burned – literally and figuratively – because of a fire that was difficult to put out. The blaze apparently started when a Model S hit some road debris under normal driving conditions.
While Tesla is proud to say that Consumer Reports claims the Model S is the best car it ever tested (Consumer Reports’ best car ever tested) in support of Tesla’s absurd boast that it is the safest car in America, missing are links to less than flattering stories about Tesla.
As with all things associated with Tesla, AutoInformed remains skeptical about a company that has never showed a profit since its inception except in Q1 of 2013. For the first six months of this year, Tesla lost $1,916 per car based on a net loss of $19.254 million from sales of 10,000 Model S and a few Roadster EVs, which is -$0.17 a share. With Tesla stock trading in the $170 range for a book value of $5 a share, buyer beware, seller rejoice.
In Tesla’s latest 10Q SEC filing it outlined the risks it faces going forward. Among them came this prescient warning from a document signed by Elon Musk:
“The battery pack in the Tesla Roadster and Model S makes use of lithium-ion cells. We also currently intend to make use of lithium-ion cells in battery packs that we sell to Toyota and Daimler as well as any future vehicles we may produce. On rare occasions, lithium-ion cells can rapidly release the energy they contain by venting smoke and flames in a manner that can ignite nearby materials as well as other lithium-ion cells.
“Highly publicized incidents of laptop computers and cell phones bursting into flames have focused consumer attention on the safety of these cells. More recently, multiple Chevrolet Volt battery pack fires, followed by a government investigation into the cause of such fires focused considerable public attention, as well as the attention of NHTSA, on the safety of electric vehicles. These events have raised concerns about the batteries used in automotive applications. To address these questions and concerns, a number of cell manufacturers are pursuing alternative lithium-ion battery cell chemistries to improve safety.
“We have designed the battery pack to passively contain any single cell’s release of energy without spreading to neighboring cells and we are not aware of any such incident in our customers’ vehicles. However, we have delivered only a limited number of Tesla Roadsters and Model S sedans to customers and have limited field experience with our vehicles, especially Model S. We have also only delivered a limited number of battery packs to Toyota and Daimler.
“Accordingly, there can be no assurance that a field or testing failure of our Model S or other battery packs that we produce will not occur, which could damage the vehicle or lead to personal injury or death and may subject us to lawsuits. We may have to recall our vehicles or participate in a recall of a vehicle that contains our battery packs, and redesign our battery packs, which would be time consuming and expensive.
“Also, negative public perceptions regarding the suitability of lithium-ion cells for automotive applications or any future incident involving lithium-ion cells such as a vehicle or other fire, even if such incident does not involve us, could seriously harm our business.”
As a public service, AutoInformed is presenting the following links. A YouTube video showed a Model S burning in Seattle after hitting some road debris and firefighters struggling to put out the resulting inferno. Thee are only some of the stories that resulted, along with AutoInformed’s coverage.
- Tesla stock burned by car fire video,
downgrade, - Tesla grapples with impact of battery
fire in U.S. | Reuters - Tesla says car fire began in battery
after crash | Fox News - Testosterone and Tesla – Men Love Them
- Tesla Motors Delivers First Model S EVs at $100,000
