Tesla investigates after video emerges of apparent Model S explosion in China

Tesla says it's investigating after a video emerged seeming to show one of its Model S cars exploding.

Footage began to spread in China on April 21 showing smoke emerging from a Tesla vehicle, which subsequently bursts into flames in a Shanghai parking lot, CNN reports.

Since 2013, at least 14 incidents have occurred involving Tesla vehicles catching fire, although typically after a crash, Reuters reports. In January 2019, the company was sued by the parents of a teenager who was killed in a Tesla crash, alleging the Model S has "inadequate measures to prevent a post-collision fire" and its battery pack is defective, per MarketWatch.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Tesla confirmed that it's looking into the Shanghai incident, saying that "we immediately sent a team on-site and we're supporting local authorities to establish the facts." Other details about the apparent explosion aren't yet available, but Tesla said that "from what we know now, no one was harmed."