[bro1999]

Driver and passenger killed in what looks like a joy ride gone wrong. http://www.indystar.com/story/news/...led-fiery-tesla-crash-near-downtown/93227456/


And check out video of the batteries catching fire and exploding and shooting all over the place! Look like fireworks!
https://twitter.com/MikeThePhotog/status/794119627810836480

 

[emartin00]

The question is, is the Volt safer, or are we just better drivers?

 

[SSonnentag]

Speed kills, and there aren't many cars as quick as a Tesla.

I had a modified Camaro SS for a few years, and I can attest to the fact that with all that acceleration on tap, it's only a matter of time before you exercise it in a foolish manner. I'm a much safer driver in an economy car.

 

[ctiomico2003]

During the week I am a better driver maximizing range.

On the weekend during my shorter drive to school, out, etc....I love the Sport Mode + L.

So I guess it really depends.

 

[Qinsp]

The question is, is the Volt safer, or are we just better drivers?

So far, none of our 3 Volts have required the assistance of the fire dept or coroner. But so far, neither has my cooking in the kitchen.

This is going to piss some folk off, but from reading the Tesla board, I have a feeling that Teslas often attract people with poor driving skills, or at least, little knowledge about how cars work, or significant experience with supercars.

That is a generalization, there are many owners who appear to expert drivers as well, but it seems a significant portion are more focused on how soon autonomy will kick in so they can stop driving.

EDIT - To make an example, some folk are puzzled how a Tesla could hit a tree. They thought it should have avoided hitting things entirely, regardless of how badly the driver acts.

 

[Dutch]

<snip>...but it seems a significant portion are more focused on how soon autonomy will kick in so they can stop driving.

EDIT - To make an example, some folk are puzzled how a Tesla could hit a tree. They thought it should have avoided hitting things entirely, regardless of how badly the driver acts.

LOL, there was a pretty famous story from the early days of cruise control where someone in an RV turned on cruise and then got up and went back into the camper to make some coffee. Cruise Control, Auto-pilot, same thing, right?

From the article

Two people were killed in a fiery electric-car crash that left a Tesla in pieces strewn over 150 yards near Downtown early Thursday.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

 

[Barry]

Unfortunately Tesla is in the same predicament as general aviation. There are thousands of car accidents each day. Hundreds of them fatal, and none make national news unless it is a Tesla.

Given that the car was speeding, it probably was not on auto pilot. Auto pilot has limits on how much over the speed limit it will go.

 

[rmay635703]

This is going to piss some folk off, but from reading the Tesla board, I have a feeling that Teslas often attract people with poor driving skills, or at least, little knowledge about how cars work, or significant experience with supercars.

EDIT - To make an example, some folk are puzzled how a Tesla could hit a tree. They thought it should have avoided hitting things entirely, regardless of how badly the driver acts.

Gen Y or whatever it is called is somewhat mindless, in my mind drivers aids serve no purpose but to make people increasingly incompetent.

Sort of like training people to fall into the can't walk and chew gum at the same time category.

 

[srmarti]

The question is, is the Volt safer, or are we just better drivers?

Maybe it's just easier to get in more trouble with 300-500 hp than it is with about 150hp.

 

[Jmaj]

What is the extinguishing agent for a lithium battery fire? Or is it stand at a safe distance and watch it burn?

Unrelated, but I did a low side slide this morning on my sportbike. Not acceleration, but braking got me in trouble. Just cosmetic damage to bike and rider. Next bike will have ABS.

 

[Dutch]

What is the extinguishing agent for a lithium battery fire? Or is it stand at a safe distance and watch it burn?

Unrelated, but I did a low side slide this morning on my sportbike. Not acceleration, but braking got me in trouble. Just cosmetic damage to bike and rider. Next bike will have ABS.

Class "D" dry powder and they are bloody EXPENSIVE

 

[Qinsp]

What is the extinguishing agent for a lithium battery fire? Or is it stand at a safe distance and watch it burn?

Unrelated, but I did a low side slide this morning on my sportbike. Not acceleration, but braking got me in trouble. Just cosmetic damage to bike and rider. Next bike will have ABS.

Last word I have is lots of cold water. You need to get the cell temp down. Lots of water, and stand back. Halon can knock down the visible fire, but internal runaway event can only be defeated by removing heat. No ice, just lots of water.

 

[Raymondjram]

I read the news. She was driving the car. I suspect that she had no expereince driving the Model S and lost control.

I don't know what are the state laws concerning car sales, but I wish they had a law mandating dealer (or salesperson) training to all vehicle buyers at the time of purchase for the Model S or any powerful vehicle. Add liability cluses to the dealer if the customer rejects the training and has an accident, like this one. I also suspect the woman's family may try to sue Tesla Motors.

 

[srmarti]

I read the news. She was driving the car. I suspect that she had no expereince driving the Model S and lost control.

I don't know what are the state laws concerning car sales, but I wish they had a law mandating dealer (or salesperson) training to all vehicle buyers at the time of purchase for the Model S or any powerful vehicle. Add liability cluses to the dealer if the customer rejects the training and has an accident, like this one. I also suspect the woman's family may try to sue Tesla Motors.

Reported to be speeding. No matter how powerful, the car backing off the throttle still slows the vehicle down. Maybe it's an excuse for the first time someone slams the throttle, but that's all. Easier to believe the driver was just irresponsible.

 

[AtomicPowered]

Details are slim but to hit a tree and scatter debris for 450 feet says that car must have been going around 100 mph. Not the car's fault.
Would have been much more dangerous with 20 gallons of gas onboard.

 

[Qinsp]

I read the news. She was driving the car. I suspect that she had no expereince driving the Model S and lost control.

I don't know what are the state laws concerning car sales, but I wish they had a law mandating dealer (or salesperson) training to all vehicle buyers at the time of purchase for the Model S or any powerful vehicle. Add liability cluses to the dealer if the customer rejects the training and has an accident, like this one. I also suspect the woman's family may try to sue Tesla Motors.

Cadillac is doing just that, IIRC, it's not the first GM program of it's kind:

http://autoweek.com/article/events/buy-cadillac-v-get-hi-po-driver-training-free I've been to the Spring Mountain Cadillac event. Fun times.

However, if the family sues, it's going to be ugly. There apparently is question whether the FD felt safe approaching the vehicle. She was not removed from the car, and the guy was trapped for 20 minutes after the FD arrived.

If the family argues the mfr was at fault because the girl could have been rescued, it will harm all EV pricing as mandatory training to all FD staff will be the outcome.

 

[Dakster]

Details are slim but to hit a tree and scatter debris for 450 feet says that car must have been going around 100 mph. Not the car's fault.
Would have been much more dangerous with 20 gallons of gas onboard.

I didn't read the entire article - but if it sent debris 450 feet - those almost always pencil out to over 100 mph... Assuming the computer survived, it should have the speed at impact in it. Would be interesting to see.

An instantaneous stop from 100 MPH can kill you in it's own right.

Reading the article, it's a sad story, Soon to be newlyweds...

 

[accelerus]

There's really no story here besides "Unskilled driver crashes and burns". Going 100mph and hitting something in any other car would have the same results.

The car is up to the same safety standards as every other car on ther road if not more so. At the end of the day, the car was was obeying the laws of physics, and the inputs from the driver. Just because you buy a Tesla does not mean you are immune from the consequences of stupid behavior.

No doubt people will come out of the woodwork trying to blame Tesla and sue them for some frivilous reason. The worst part is the passenger died and it wasn't his fault. I have no problem with people taking themselves out of the gene pool with a Darwin award... I hate seeing innocent people paying with their lives due to the stupidity or selfishness of others.

 

[fotomoto1]

However, if the family sues, it's going to be ugly. There apparently is question whether the FD felt safe approaching the vehicle. She was not removed from the car, and the guy was trapped for 20 minutes after the FD arrived.

If the family argues the mfr was at fault because the girl could have been rescued, it will harm all EV pricing as mandatory training to all FD staff will be the outcome.

On the flip side, first responders who aren't the FD sometimes have to wait for a gasoline fire to die down too to reach occupants.

 

[Norton]

In that fire scene you are seeing individual 18650 Li-ion cells popping open from the heat one by one.
They are 18mm x 65mm stainless steel cans, just like in most lap tops. Only thousands of them.

I'm not saying the more modern cell packaging used by other EV manufactures won't burn in a violent crash, you just won't have all these spinning sparklers, potentially thousands of them...