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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Technology
Sophie Curtis

Tesla investigating video of Model S electric car EXPLODING into flames

Tesla is investigating a video of one of its Model S cars exploding into flames - the latest in a string of fire incidents involving Tesla electric vehicles.

The video, time stamped Sunday evening and widely shared on Chinese social network Weibo , shows the parked car emitting smoke and bursting into flames seconds later.

A second video, purportedly of the aftermath, shows a line of three cars completely destroyed.

The incident is said to have taken place in Shanghai, though the origins of the videos have not been verified.

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In a statement, the car maker, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, said it had sent a team to investigate the matter, and that there were no reported casualties.

"After learning about the incident in Shanghai, we immediately sent the team to the scene last night," according to a translation of a Tesla statement posted on Weibo.

"We are actively contacting relevant departments and supporting the verification. According to current information, there are no casualties."

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"Tesla self-ignites" was one of the most popular hashtags on Weibo on Monday, racking up over 20 million clicks.

Some users urged the automaker to quickly find the cause, while others found humour in the situation.

"One lesson I learnt from the Shanghai self-exploding Tesla: Don't park your car next to a Tesla," said one commentator.

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There have been at least 14 instances of Tesla cars catching fire since 2013, with the majority occurring after a crash.

In 2018, a Tesla Model S car driven by British TV director Michael Morris burst into flames while it was parked on the side of a street in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

The automaker has said its electric vehicles are 10 times less likely to experience a fire than petrol-powered cars, based on its fleet of over 500,000 vehicles which have driven more than 10 billion miles.

It did not specify whether the statistic referred to normal use or cars involved in accidents.

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