Tesla electric car bursts into flames during a test drive in France

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

August 17, 2016 at 15:33

A TESLA electric car has mysteriously burst into flames during a promotional tour in southwest France.

The driver, who had answered a Facebook ad offering test drives of the Model S 90D sedan, said he saw smoke before the fire broke out in Biarritz on Monday, according to Sud Ouest.

Electrek reports the car made a sudden loud noise before a “problem with charging” message began flashing.

A Tesla representative in the car asked the driver to pull over. All three people in the vehicle jumped out. Moments later, it was engulfed in flames.

Tesla said in a statement it is “working with the authorities to establish the facts” about the blaze, but did not release information about the cause of the fire.

Regional administration spokesman Patrice Abbadie said nobody was hurt.

Incendie de la #Tesla lundi 15 août 2016 à #Bayonne. Avant l'arrivée des pompiers. Voiture complètement détruite. pic.twitter.com/qT8h6ccFoP
— Cédric Faiche (@cedricfaiche) August 15, 2016

Tesla stopped in the seaside city of Biarritz to promote the Model S and Model X as part of its ‘Electric Road Trip’ tour.
In 2013, Tesla’s shares fell sharply after images emerged of a Model S catching fire when a driver struck a large metal object that punctured a cover protecting the lithium-ion battery, Reuters reports.
The Model S has won a five-star safety rating from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in every testing category, according to Reuters.

It also has the highest rating given by influential magazine Consumer Reports, with a score of 99 out of 100 points.