Tesla Model S that caught fire in Florida hit speed of 116 MPH
The fire in the battery pack was extinguished using 200 to 300 gallons of water and foam, the NTSB said.
(Bloomberg) – A Tesla Inc. Model S driven by an 18-year-old reached a top speed of 116 miles per hour before skidding into a wall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and bursting into flames, according to a preliminary report by U.S. accident investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is looking into the flammability of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles, released the report Tuesday on the May 8 accident that killed the driver and one of two passengers. The report didn’t contain any conclusions about causes of the crash.
Erupted in flames
The car hit 116 mph before beginning to slow as it approached a turn in the road marked by a flashing warning light with a maximum speed of 25 mph, the NTSB said. The car lost control, struck a wall, rebounded into another wall and erupted in flames, witnesses told the NTSB.
The fire in the battery pack was extinguished using 200 to 300 gallons of water and foam, the NTSB said. The agency also is looking at a Tesla battery fire in a March 23 crash and sent a technical expert to gather information on a June 15 Tesla blaze. Both cases occurred in California.
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