Yet another fire incident has put the Tesla Model S in the news once again, with people around the country continuing to worry about the vehicles’ propensity to catch fire after being involved in an accident. However, the CEO of the company believes that the media is placing too much scrutiny on these vehicles, which he claims make up an incredibly small percentage of the vehicle fires that occur on an annual basis.
He points to 2010 data from the National Fire Protection Association that shows 184,500 vehicles catching fire in that year alone. Calling the headlines misleading, he opts instead to direct consumers toward the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s and Consumer Reports’s bestowal of high safety ratings upon the vehicles.
Since October 1, there have been three incidents in which a Model S caught fire after being involved in some sort of accident. In regard to those and other accidents, the CEO said that his vehicles have yet to lead to any serious injury.
For the NHTSA’s part, a spokesperson said that they are working with the auto company to get a better idea of what occurred so that they know the proper course of future action. One Gartner analyst interviewed for the story said that, while regulatory action was unlikely, Tesla could opt to offer additional protection to the battery packs where the fires began.