November 17, 2023
NIGHTMARE: EV malfunctions, locks driver inside, rolls backwards down a boat ramp… and ignites
By Olivia Murray
Here’s a story that by my account, flew relatively under the radar—according to an October Facebook post by an organization of firefighters in Hollywood, Florida:
On Sunday Oct 1st, a Tesla Model S [sic] was attempting to back a jet ski into the water at the Polk Street boat ramp, when it lost traction and slid into the inter-coastal [sic]. The salt water reacted with the the [sic] vehicle’s electronics causing them to short, sparking a fire that burned underwater for an extended period of time.
The fire was allowed to burn underwater until it extinguished itself. And even then, it had to be loaded carefully onto a special carrier, and followed by the Fire Engine to the impound lot, where they’ll keep the vehicle isolated for a few days in the very real possibility of re-ignition. EVs have been known to reignite even after the initial fire has been extinguished.
Jonathon Ramsey at Autoblog provided additional details of the incident:
The wife backs the trailer and jet ski into the water, the husband gets the jet ski into the water. While the husband is on the water on the jet ski, the Tesla begins flashing a warning to the wife to get out of the Model X. The car's electronically powered doors are closed, and whatever malfunction is occurring won't permit the doors to open. Apparently, the wife didn't know about the manual release for the doors, so the husband rocks up and gets her out before the Model X ends up submerged.
…https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/11/nightmare_ev_malfunctions_locks_driver_inside_rolls_backwards_down_a_boat_ramp_and_ignites.html
After the SUV slides into the water, its battery catches fire, with toxic gases [sic] and flames erupting from the water's surface. The ocean hates batteries.
