Elon Musk talks about the Tesla Model S’s safety; Battery fire was statistical inevitability
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n-xsEjq7pk&start=1380]
As the world loses its mind over the Tesla that caught on fire, it is important to note a few things. Above, from a conversation in July with owners and stockholders Musk indicates some of the pretty incredible considerations that went into building the Model S.
Last month, when announcing the best NHTSA ratings ever, Tesla expanded on Musk’s statement above –that statistically there was likely to be a battery fire.
The Model S lithium-ion battery did not catch fire at any time before, during or after the NHTSA testing. It is worth mentioning that no production Tesla lithium-ion battery has ever caught fire in the Model S or Roadster, despite several high speed impacts. While this is statistically unlikely to remain the case long term, Tesla is unaware of any Model S or Roadster occupant fatalities in any car ever.
The Seattle driver was fine so, as of as of this writing, no one has yet had a permanent injury or death from a Tesla Model S accident.
