(152,300 fires per year) / (6 months) = 25,383 automobile fires based on data from 2006-2010
U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 152,300 automobile fires per year in 2006-2010. These fires caused an average of 209 civilian deaths, 764 civilian injuries, and $536 million in direct property damage.
Facts and Figures
- Automobile fires were involved in 10% of reported U.S. fires, 6% of U.S. fire deaths.
- On average, 17 automobile fires were reported per hour. These fires killed an average of four people every week.
- Mechanical or electrical failures or malfunctions were factors in roughly two-thirds of the automobile fires.
- Collisions and overturns were factors in only 4% of highway vehicle fires, but these incidents accounted for three of every five (60%) automobile fire deaths.
- Only 2% of automobile fires began in fuel tanks or fuel lines, but these incidents caused 15% of the automobile fire deaths.
Source: http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/vehicle...
150,000 fires / 250mm total cars in america: ~ .0006
3 fires / 20,000 Teslas (their expectation for this year: ~.00015 (4x fewer fires)
I'm not sure whether we should care that gas cars catch fire in parking lots rather than highways... it seems like a huge concern regardless.
I'm not sure whether we should care that gas cars catch fire in parking lots rather than highways...
These vehicles are typically not occupied. So from a driver and passenger safety perspective...you really should care.
Given a normalization of usage, period of ownership, driving habits, and maintenance: do they have a different rate of fires that is statistically significant.
I don't know the answer, but that's the question you should be "just asking".
Between 2006 and 2010 there were on average 152,300 automobile fires per year [1] so a reasonable estimate for 2 months would be 25,383. There are approximately 19,000 Tesla Model S sedans on the road [2]. If we assume most of those vehicles are in the US, then the Tesla model S represents 0.007469% of the 254.4 million passenger vehicles in the US [3]. One would expect 1.8 Tesla Model S fires in a 2 month period if the chances of a fire are no different for the Model S than other vehicles. But, this calculation doesn't take into account several other mitigating factors, for example if fires are more common in older cars than new cars.
[1] http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/vehicle...
[2] http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/05/tesla-q3-2013-earnings/
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_vehicles_in_the_Unite...
The second crash in Mexico definitely was not. “This was a significant accident where the car was traveling at such a high speed that it smashed through a concrete wall and then hit a large tree, yet the driver walked away from the car with no permanent injury.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/tesla-says-model-s-...
Where did it say this was a "minor fender bender"? This article doesn't have much detail, but the first fire was a result of a large chunk of metal on the road levering up and stabbing into the engine compartment. I have no doubt that the exact same incidence with a gas-powered car could have had a significantly worse result than the contained fire the Tesla experienced.
If this fire was battery related, we are now at 100% for TSLA
[1] On public highways.
[1] High-pressure fuel lines are well protected outside of the battery, also (they are small) en route to the intake manifold. Here, the EFI rail is also behind the engine block and not likely to take a direct impact. Even then, they are flexible and not likly to break (they would bend).
Contrary to popular belief (and maybe common sense), gas-fueled cars rarely catch fire because of the gas in the tank. You'd need a gas leak and some form of external ignition, which rarely occur together. Apparenly with a battery-powered car, all you need is piercing damage to the battery.