Tuesday morning, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would investigate two incidents (PDF) in which Tesla Model S sedans caught fire. Both times the cars hit debris on a highway and the undercarriage and batteries were damaged. (There was a third accident in Mexico, but being in a different country, it’s not in the NHTSA’s jurisdiction.)
The AP gets into details of the investigation:
So what does it mean for the Palo Also-based carmaker? Bradley Berman, editor of PluginCars.com (and a one-time KQED contributor), said he’s not surprised by all the scrutiny Tesla’s been subjected to.
“It’s a rockstar company with a rockstar CEO,” he said. “And a beautiful, award-winning, expensive, fast vehicle. So that’s a magnet for attention.”
Berman said that while many more gas cars catch on fire each year, the investigation is justified. “The Tesla Model S has sold a few thousand vehicles, versus some electric cars out there that have sold in the tens of thousands that have not had this problem.”