Tesla Model 3 Highland catches fire while charging, but don’t blame

Thankfully, the fire did not spread to the electric car’s battery pack, making it easier for firefighters to put out the fire.

A new Tesla Model 3 has sparked a lot of discussion online after it caught fire while charging in a supermarket parking lot in Greece. Interestingly, photos of the charred wreckage suggest that the fire did not originate from the electric car’s battery pack.

The incident took place in Agia Paraskevi, just outside of Athens, on Sunday, September 22. According to reports, a black Tesla Model 3 Highland suddenly caught fire while plugged into a supermarket charging station.

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User dionysis_bdroid shared a photo documenting the aftermath of the accident on X. The photo shows the extent of the damage to the rear of the vehicle, which is completely destroyed. The shattered rear window and melted tires are a stark reminder of the intense heat, while the charging station itself looks like it has experienced a small fire.

Investigation ongoing

We contacted the local fire department and they confirmed that they had successfully extinguished the fire. A firefighter told us that while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the flames only affected the rear of the vehicle and, notably, did not spread to the battery pack.

Based on the limited information available, the fire may have been caused by a faulty charging cable or adapter.

While multiple studies have shown that electric vehicles are statistically less likely to catch fire than internal combustion and hybrid vehicles, the real problem comes when they do catch fire. When electric vehicles catch fire, their battery packs can be difficult to extinguish.

Most firefighters are specially trained to handle electric vehicle fires, but the challenge is that each battery cell burns independently, making the process of extinguishing a fire long and complicated. This is why some enclosed parking lots have chosen to ban electric vehicles entirely, as the consequences of a battery fire could be catastrophic.

According to EV FireSafe, 15% of electric vehicle fires occur while charging. More specifically, of the 490 confirmed electric vehicle fires worldwide over the past 14 years, 78 occurred near charging stations.

Photo: dionysis_bdroid/X