Third Tesla Model S electric car catches fire

[Mother Muckraker]

Source: Washington Times

Another Tesla Model S electric car has caught fire, this time after hitting a tow hitch Wednesday afternoon outside Smyrna, Tenn.

The driver was eastbound on Interstate 24 when the hitch hit the undercarriage of the car, causing an electrical fire, The Associated Press reported. The front of the car was engulfed in flames, but the driver was able to pull over and escape without harm.

The blaze was the third fire in a Model S in the past five weeks. A driver just outside Seattle hit road debris that caused a fire in the battery pack. The other blaze happened in Mexico after the driver ran over a roundabout and crashed into a concrete wall, the AP reported.



Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/7/another-tesla-electric-car-catches-fire/

---

All 3 fires were from punctures to the battery compartment.

3 fires so far for the Model S with around ~20,000 cars on the road.
0 fires for the Nissan Leaf with around ~35,000 cars on the road.

Remember how Musk made up Tesla's "5.4 star rating" and hailed the Model S as the "safest car ever"?

[Scuba]

1. Yawn.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/11/03/despite-several-electric-car-fires-tesla-is-a-safe.aspx

Tesla's Model S has only seen two fires in 100 million miles driven, while traditional vehicles have one fire for every 20 million miles driven. The numbers make a strong case that the vehicle is at least as fireproof as traditional vehicles.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2013/10/03/yes-teslas-can-catch-fire-but-keeping-cool-is-in-order/

Cars catch fire on the highway surprisingly often, 187,500 times in 2011 in fact. There are a bit more than 250 million registered vehicles in the U.S., giving any car approximately a 1 in 1500 chance of being on fire in a given year.

[daleo]

15. Contextual facts are always helpful in these matters.

Thanks.

[Plucketeer]

30. I saw two different Camaros on fire recently

Neither had been in a collision of any sort. Where's the bad press for Chevrolet???

[seveneyes]

40. Bad comparison

Compare the Tesla against only cars as new as the Tesla. If you are going to use Lithium cells in the cars battery, then you should encase them in something stronger that what they are using. I would expect older, not well maintained gasoline vehicles to catch fire more often than a modern, well designed electric car.

[Major Nikon]

65. Car fires in gasoline cars are often due to poor maintenance

Maintenance issues could also potentially cause fires in electrical cars, but since none of them are that old this remains to be seen how well it will compare. However they are also caused by design flaws and crashes, both of which would compare well to newer electrical cars.

[petronius]

43. Thanks for the links! I was half-way listening to the radio story on this,

and I caught them say that several hundred cars catch on fire per day - startling, but not so much I guess when you consider how many cars there are and how many miles of highway being driven...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Buy one and you're going to DIE!!!! (According to the Moonie Times)...

The ONLY reason they're in a panic is the Tesla is the new status symbol car amongst the rich.

[PoliticAverse]

3. Non Washington Times versions of the story...

Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/tesla-model-s-catches-fire-in-tennessee-third-fire-in-companys-electric-car/2013/11/07/d76719f2-47bf-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html

LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-shares-fall-fire-problems-20131107,0,6144219.story#a

[jberryhill]

4. Something flammable in an automobile?

Nobody is going to stand for that.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Zero injuries.

I'd buy one right now if I could afford it.

Someday.

[Auggie]

6. If most people knew what was happening in their internal combustion engine

they'd be afraid to drive it.

[SoapBox]

7. Ditto!

Ya, like driving around with 30 gallons or so of gasoline is safe.

[Kelvin Mace]

13. Rupture the battery of a Tesla

and the car warns you to pull over and get out.

Rupture the fuel lines of an ICE car and it sprays gasoline all over the engine and exhaust system. Hopefully somebody will draw your attention to the fire before you notice it, when it is likely to be very late in the game. You can then pull over and try to exit the car, hopefully before the pooling gasoline fire blocks your escape routes.

[Mother Muckraker]

18. Same with ICE engine

The same sensors can warn of a fire in an ICE car. No big deal.

[Kelvin Mace]

21. I am not aware of any fire warning system on current model

ICE vehicles. Could you tell me which ones have this feature? I would certainly wish such an option next time I buy a car.

[Mother Muckraker]

24. If enough people ask for that feature, they will include it in the future

The question is why do they feel the need to include fire detection in the first place? Keep in mind, it doesn't actually prevent the fire, it just detects a fire and alerts the driver. It's a sensor that can also be included in ICE cars if need be.

Li-ion batteries store lots of energy and any puncture will cause a short leading to a fire which spreads from cell to cell which number in the thousands.

IMO, the main problem with the fires is the location of the battery. It's in a place that's easy for a rapid swap as it was designed to do. but at the same time, its more exposed.

The Model S is designed in a way that appeals to people's emotions and safety concerns are incidental. It's the way their factory is run. It was the way NUMMI was run (line not stopped if someone dies on the line). Elon Musk "I'm not ultra-environmental" and Toyota are one in the same and they care nothing of the environment. Musk only cares to make money for himself and Toyota only care about their shareholders who are mostly banking institutions.

[Kelvin Mace]

31. Smoke detectors don't prevent fires

but I have them in my house to warn me when a fire breaks out.

Why do I feel the need to have a warning system? Well, I have been in two vehicle fires in my life, and that was enough to inspire me. Both were well underway before I detected them, and both involved close calls.

The first occurred due to some damage to fuel pump. When I brought the car to a stop, gasoline was pouring on the ground such that when I got out and ran from it, my shoes were on fire.

The second was in a truck and was caused by a stuck brake caliper which overheated the disk and set the brake fluid on fire, which then spread along the bottom of the engine. This one was more attention grabbing since I was at a gas station filling up when the fire broke out.

So, yeah, I would LOVE a fire warning system on my cars.

I have also dealt with a few incidents of L-Ion battery fires in my capacity as a computer tech, so I am familiar with the fire hazard.

You have valid points to raise about the location of the battery in the Tesla versus the Leaf, but so far the Telsa, according to the numbers, is safer than the other 99.9% of cares on the road (as far as vehicle fires are concerned). Since this is easy to demonstrate, you hurt your credibility and blunt your effectiveness with easily refuted criticism.

I tell you this not because I want to argue with you, or deter you from your justified outrage over your past experiences, but to help you hone your argument for more effect.

I hope you accept the advice in the spirit it is offered.

[Plucketeer]

32. Trial and error

"Musk only cares to make money for himself and Toyota only care about their shareholders who are mostly banking institutions."

Are they the only ones guilty of this??? Our seas are choking and our planet's turning into a terrarium under a heat lamp and everyone's afraid to name names - or maybe they just can't find a ledger long enough to record all the offenders on. We NEED electric cars and trucks. If there's some stumbles along the way - THAT'S how things are improved. That's how the shortcomings are identified. Nobody designs a perfect ANYTHING right from the git-go. If that were the case, we'd all be happy with our Apple 2Es.

[Mother Muckraker]

35. We "need" electric cars?

Unclean at any speed:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/unclean-at-any-speed

Electric cars replace oil with coal. Tesla is looking to expand in China. The use of electric cars in China will only worsen the problem. The only way is to take public transportation, bicycle and walk. Here in the U.S., 40-50% of our electricity still comes from dirty coal. EVs only shift pollution out of sight and that which is out of sight is out of mind.

Tesla is designed to appeal to the worst parts of human nature. Greed, narcissism, self-righteousness... It has nothing to do with saving the environment. Musk has said so himself "I'm not ultra-environmental..."

[Plucketeer]

44. Well...

when you're taking your family on a trip - on your bicycles, of course - you can hold your head up high. As has been noted by others, your axe is out and ready to grind. Don't cut yourself!

[FarrenH]

50. Electric cars replace oil with electricity

You can get electricity from clean sources. The same is not true of petrol. Saying that there isn't enough renewable energy in the electricity supply *right now* isn't the same as saying your fuel source will always, inescapably be dirty, as is the case for petrol vehicles. Electric cars are cleaner in the Germany, for example, because a larger proportion of their electricity is from renewables than the USA. Its very poor reasoning to draw a one-to-one comparison.

[Mother Muckraker]

62. Yes, that's Elon's promise.. from a salesman.

Yes you can, but what do we have NOW. Why is Tesla selling to China which has 70% coal based electricity? What is our current rate of transition to renewable clean sources of electricity?

What's really poor reasoning is to extrapolate future energy use from the promises of a salesman.

The only way to stop global warning ("climate change" if you like that better) is to STOP using energy NOW drastically. That means taking public transportation, bicycling, walking. Science demands it, but business (and greed) avoids it.

[Marrah_G]

53. It does not require coal.

They can be charged by wind and solar. You have to think past today and look at the future.

[snooper2]

56. My friends uncle died back in the day due to clutch explosion

in his 56 Chevy gasser - that's why they make things called scattershields

Very similar to this---

[mconnors]

8. That bites

My son in law started working at Tesla as one of their top engineers about four months ago.

[Mother Muckraker]

10. Engineering is not at fault

Engineering can only do so much when the CEO has to push the product out ASAP.

[TheBlackAdder]

9. The Leaf is also a wussie car with a low-energy powerpack. Lighter and slower. n/t

[Kelvin Mace]

12. Hey, some of us plan on getting one

since we don't have $80K to drop on a Tesla.

[Mother Muckraker]

19. I wonder where the Leaf battery is located?

The Model S battery is located on the bottom to facilitate a fast battery swap if needed. It's designed that way. I wonder where the Leaf battery is?

[Kelvin Mace]

22. Ah! I have read your profile

and you have a legitimate grudge against Telsa for being anti-union.

Cool.

[solarhydrocan]

47. And don't let that battery discharge completely!

because it's "just" $12,000 (as opposed to $40k for the roadster) to replace it.

n March of this year, there was a minor uproar over Tesla Roadster batteries being “bricked,” a way of saying that the battery pack was fully depleted and needed to be entirely replaced. The controversial incident revealed that Tesla was exacting a price of $40,000 to replace the 53-kWh hour pack in the Roadster. That’s why some EV market observers were surprised when George Blankenship, Tesla vice president of worldwide sales and ownership experience, announced last week that the company will replace the larger 85-kWh pack on the Model S for just $12,000.

Before taking out your calculator to crunch Tesla’s apparent dollar-per-kilowatt-hour price of its batteries—or jumping to the conclusion that Tesla has unlocked the great secret of EV battery affordability—it’s critical to consider a few points. The very attractive replacement cost for the largest pack—and equally compelling prices of $10,000 and $8,000 respectively for the 60-kWh and 40-kWh packs—much be purchased within 90 days of taking ownership, but only will be honored “after the end of the eighth year” of ownership, according to Blankenship...
http://www.plugincars.com/tesla-model-s-replacement-battery-packs-125571.html

Check out Solar Hydrogen power:

[Kelvin Mace]

11. Not sure I agree with your conclusions

According to the National Fire Protection Association the U.S. clocks about 17 vehicle fires per hour, resulting in 4 deaths per week.

So far the Tesla fires have involved no fatalities or injuries. If I recall correctly, the Tesla has a fire detection system and warns drivers of a fire, a feature that exists in no ICE car I am aware of.

About two thirds of all ICE vehicle fires are the result of electrical malfunctions/failures.

http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/vehicles

Can't say I am a big fan of Musk (he is another Ayn Rand fan), but the Tesla is a pretty safe car so far.

[Mother Muckraker]

16. What were my initial conclusions? new "conclusion" 1/714 fires = death

You do not agree with my conclusions when none were made?

Your #'s:
17fires/hr=408 per day or 2856 fires/week

4 deaths/week

1 death in 714 fires

So somewhere around the 700th Model S fire, there will be a death. In the meantime, the "Teslots" can claim the car "saved their lives" after every battery fire.

[Kelvin Mace]

20. You seem to me to have some axe to grind with Teslas

You were pointing out, pointedly I might add, the differences between the incidents of fires in the Tesla, versus the Leaf, which is not an apt comparison since the Leaf stores significantly less energy in its battery and has a shorter range, which means fewer miles on the road than the Tesla. I simply pointed out that no one had died in any Tesla fire and the car had a warning system that ICE cars do not have.

Having been involved in two vehicles fires in my life, I can tell you I would rather deal with a burning battery than a pool of burning gasoline.

If there is a death at the occurrence of the 700th Tesla fire, that would mean that the car is no more dangerous than ICE cars.

Also, if the presence of a fire warning system allows drivers to exit a car on fire before it becomes, as the firemen say, "completely involved", then yes, the system is potentially saving lives.

You seem, in my opinion, rather contemptuous of Tesla owners. What about them angers you so?

[Mother Muckraker]

23. Leaf has how many miles on the road?

Leaf has how many miles on the road collectively vs the Model S?

The answer to your last question is dealt with extensively. See my sig and click around the net to check out the ax grinding.

[Kelvin Mace]

28. Again, I have read your profile

and now understand you grudge.

If you wish to criticize Telsa for anti-union efforts, by all means, be my guest. But if you are trying to imply that the Tesla is somehow unsafe because of these fires, the math doesn't back you up.



We had 190,000 vehicle fires in 2010. According to the Department of Transportation in 2009 we had 250 millions vehicles on the road. Using those numbers I get one vehicle fire per 1,315 cars on the road. By your numbers there are around 20,000 Teslas on the road and they have had 3 fires, or 1 fire per 6,666 cars.

The math indicates that the Telsa has 1/5 the number of vehicle fires of ICE cars.

Now the Leaf has had no fires and that is certainly more impressive, and I am looking at the Leaf for my next car. I wouldn't buy a Tesla because I cannot wrap my head around the idea of paying that kind of money for a car, regardless of how much money I had. I also wouldn't buy a Tesla because of Musk's political views.

That said, so far, the Tesla looks like a decent bit of overpriced engineering. Attacking it as unsafe is just not supported by the numbers.

[Mother Muckraker]

36. Using the invalid 250mil vs 20,000 stats... Model S fires will exceed national average in 6 months

The only stats relevant is the Leaf vs Model S. You can't compare 250,000,000 cars on the road which includes much older cars vs 20,000 new cars.

The 3 fires occurred within 6 weeks. At this rate, the fires are due to exceed the national average in 6 months using the 250million stat.

[Kelvin Mace]

42. And in the same six weeks time

21,000+ ICE vehicles caught fire.

How many of those were new cars? Tricky to find out, as the best number I could find from a reliable source was from this article in Consumer Reports on the first Tesla fire which calculated the fire rate for new vehicles at 1 per 10,000 cars. With three fires and 20,000 cars, this would seem to support your contention since this would equal 1.5 fires per 10,000 cars, 50% higher than conventional ICE vehicles. But, the data doesn't cover accident-related fires, and only covers cars where insurance claims were filed (i.e. the cars were insured). I think that it is safe to assume that the majority of fires occur during accidents, so the number of total car fires is at least equal to the number of non-accident related fires, which would put the fire rate at 2 per 10,000 cars, making the Tesla fire rate 25% lower than conventional ICE cars.

I don't expect this to change your view, since I don't have hard numbers and am forced to extrapolate. But I think my extrapolations are sound. However, I will refrain from further discussion on the topic since it will serve no useful purpose.

[Mother Muckraker]

41. 1/6666 fires for Model S EXCEEDS 2010 rate of 1/11,403 fires from all cars

If we use these numbers above, we have to account for time.

190,000 fires in the course of 1 year = 12 months

we had 3 fires from the Model S in 6 weeks

190,000x6weeks/52weeks= 21,923 fires out of 250,000,000 cars on the road

-OR-

1 fire out of 11,403 cars for the national average.

1 fire out of 6,666 cars for the Model S.

That's approx. DOUBLE the national rate.

[onehandle]

14. Teslas have failsafes upon failsafes looking for problems like fires.

Your average Hyundai? Not so much.

[Mother Muckraker]

17. Failsafes upon failsafes?

What are those "failsafes"? It seems those "failsafes" aren't able to prevent this type of fire.

The fires have all been punctures to the battery shield which damaged the battery causing a chain-reaction of shorts in the high energy batteries. The only "failsafe" is a much thicker shield which will make the car much heavier.

[onehandle]

27. 'Looking for,' not preventing.

Regular cars catch on fire more often than Teslas.

They don't have systems looking for fires and other problems Teslas do.

This story is only a story because of haters.

[Mother Muckraker]

25. 3rd Fire in Smyrna Tenn where Nissan Leaf is produced

[JI7]

26. what kind of damage would have been done to other cars if the same thing happened ?

would there have been no fire and less damange on vehicle with other cars ?

doesn't the Tesla have a system in place which warns and allows passengers to get out because something is wrong ? and so far nobody has gotten hurt in these accidents .

[MyNameGoesHere]

29. OMG! Tesla is worse than ACA! Doom! Dogs and cats having sex.

[olddad56]

34. yeah, lets blame the tesla fire on Obama.

[Mother Muckraker]

37. Who's Blaming Obama? - Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them?

Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them?
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/tesla-motors-free-ride-elon-musk-government-subsidies

Yet Musk is also emblematic of a curious strain of denial that seems to infect Silicon Valley as a whole. His breakaway success is a powerful reminder of how the public sector can turbocharge innovation. It brings to mind the government-backed $500,000 investment in a young startup known as Apple—and the federal grants that funded the prototype for Google. But rather than becoming poster boys for public-private partnership, Musk and other Valley entrepreneurs have gone out of their way to distance themselves from their patron. Shortly after paying off his $465 million loan, Musk proclaimed that government should no longer provide such assistance. A "carbon tax would be a better way," he tweeted, adding: "Yes, am arguing against subsidies and in favor of a tax on the end bad created. Market will then achieve best solution."

[sendero]

33. While unfortunate...

.... this is not going to be the end of Tesla. My guess is that they will fortify the battery compartment and that will eliminate 90% of these fires.

[madrchsod]

38. guess who had a similiar problem?

tesla`s battery protection is crap and panasonic is re-engineering the battery.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

39. Sure there is a lot more to it.

I don't think you can expect non engineering type people to understand what it all means. If one of those three incidents turns into a law suit than a solid team of investigative engineers not connected to the corporation will get a look at it. And when they do the flaws will be exposed in and out of a court of law. You read about the incidents but you don't find out much about where those vehicles end up.

If you do read about investigative consulting engineering firms having been brought in to a potential law suit, that is just where you want to fallow up on the problem/problems and if the production line is faulty meaning they cut corners,it will cost them. It would seem crash tests should have exposed that problem before it went into production on the assembly lines.

The 71/72/73 Ford Pinto exploding gas tank, doesn't that bring back memories .and than there is the 64 & 1/2 Ford Mustang fallowed by the 65. In 64 Ford was real hot to hit the market with the Mustang so they released it mid year in 64 than came right back out with the 65.

You see real hot to hit the market. To the S, maybe they weighed the risks and figured settlements were the way to go ,meaning they were all to hot to get it out there at all cost.
So they predict huge profit margins to cover all costs.

[Humanist_Activist]

45. My Brother-in-Law had a regular car that caught on fire a month after he got it...

I forget the make and model, no one died, it happened at a gas station, they were just pulling out, and they stopped and bailed while the car went up in smoke. I made fun of him for that situation, but it wasn't triggered by anything other than bad wiring, from what we were told by the insurance company, and he got a replacement in a week or so.

[LeftyMom]

46. My Dad owned a Ford that caught fire and burned to slag while parked and empty.

DU allows links to the moonie times?

[Nihil]

48. Apparently they do ...

> DU allows links to the moonie times?

... as this single-issue poster likes anything that can put a negative slant
on Tesla vehicles - even right-wing fish-wrappers like the Moonie and the
Daily Fail ...

Guess he had a jury in his favour (if anyone bothered to alert on this crap
rather than just ignore it).

Another day, another non-story.

[Mother Muckraker]

57. Moonie Times? You mean CIA....

I'm glad you brought that up. It's an opportunity for you to post up links to info about Sun Yung Moon and his Moonie organization and how it's setup to promote a right-wing agenda..... and do mention who's behind setting this up.

FYI. Part of the cover for any illegitimate organization or undercover operative is to provide legitimate information and activities that give the impression of legitimacy. That's why "Moonie Times" will print stories from the AP.

[truthisfreedom]

49. In other news, Tesla Motors cars are reported to actually be cars.

All of which, from time to time, burn. However, their high star rating makes their overall safety very high, as long as the occupants walk away from the car before the VERY SLOW BUILDING FIRE builds up.

In each of these three cases, the battery pack was cut into by a violent crash from underneath the car. In each of these cases, all occupants exited the car after warnings from the car itself said "GET OUT, THIS CAR IS NOW IN TROUBLE."

It's actually pretty amazing. As far as I've been able to ascertain, NOBODY has ever died in a Tesla vehicle.

I own Tesla Roadster #xx04. My girlfriend and I have been through two major accidents in that vehicle that, in a typical car, would have resulted in major injury or death. We're perfectly fine. The thing is golden, in my opinion. I love it. It's one of my most favorite things I've ever had the chance to purchase. I also use Apple products. Similar, in my opinion.

[Mother Muckraker]

61. Walking away from car fire is nothing amazing. Happens all the time. What are the facts?

Using a Roadster as comparison is not valid. Is the Roadster battery located in the same place?

You know that the Model S battery was designed to be swapped quickly. The position of the battery places it in harms way. The 1/4" plate tells me the engineers knew of the dangers of penetration in that position, but had to design it as such to appease management... Elon Musk.

The Model S safety rating is the highest rating at 5-stars which other cars have received. It did not come from tests of the car from every conceivable angle. Also, Musk has lied about the rating calling it "5.4-stars" misrepresenting the Model S as the safest car ever built which is false. There are other tests that have yet to be designed which are specific for electric cars.

The occupants walking away is nothing "amazing". In car fires, only 1 in 7000 ever result in death. We've had 3 fires for the Model S.

What IS relevant is the 3 fires within a short time frame of 6 weeks. 3 fires within 6 weeks is almost TWICE the national average (see chart prior posts). The question is whether this is a statistical blip or a persistent danger. This is why the NHTSA is investigating.

[jmowreader]

51. It seems to me...

...that b olting a 1/2" thick plate of the metal armored personnel carriers are made of across the bottom of the battery pack would solve this problem. APCs are aluminum so the weight penalty wouldn't be high.

[JackRiddler]

52. Washington Times - Attacking a Stock Price

Shame on you!

Imagine this headline several times a minute:

Car Crash Kills No One

THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE PIMPING HERE.

[Mother Muckraker]

59. Shame on me? 3 fires in 6 weeks is well above national average & Q2 Q3 Loss

There is only 1 death per 7000 fires statistically and there have been 3 Model S fires. This is not about a car crash killing no one.

It's about 3 fires in the course of 6 weeks which the feds are now investigating. Using the numbers from the government (see prior posts with chart) the fire rate is now almost twice the national average.

And yes, the stock price should be attacked because there is no reason for such a massive valuation. TSLA's valuation is based on future promises by Elon Musk, the same person who has lie and misinformed the public. $500/month for a Model S to promoting non-GAAP numbers to promote a "profit" when Tesla has actually suffered a loss for the last 2 quarters. Q2 loss of 30 million and the latest Q3 loss of $38 million.

GAAP numbers are the only acceptable numbers as required by the SEC so investors don't get swindled.

Those are the facts.

[snooper2]

54. Well, at least you are able to get out of the car without an explosion..

I'm sure engineers are checking it out now

[jakeXT]

55. You are out, but that doesn't mean there is no explosion after that

[Jackpine Radical]

58. I used to have a pinto.

I also had a bumper sticker that read, "Danger! Unexploded Pinto"

[taylor2545]

60. Tesla Model S

Are all Tesla cars electric or do they have gas ones as well? I wonder what are making these Model S electric cars caught a fire like that.

[In_The_Wind]

63. Hello ~ taylor2545

[img][/img]

[gopiscrap]

68. welcome to DU

[Socialistlemur]

64. Seems to me Tesla is a car for rich folk

Those electric cars are meant for rich folk who want to show they are being good environmentalists. But it seems to me a small 4 cylinder diesel with a five speed manual transmission is a better choice. I own one of those mini diesels and I get almost 50 mpg. I don't think it's really sensible to drive around a car with super acceleration and other rich kid trappings. I'd rather save the cash and use it to install triple pane windows and get a super efficient heating system. Need to have common sense, guys and gals.

[Mother Muckraker]

66. $90,000 average selling price

The average selling price is above $90,000 to people who have little regard for the environment. Conspicuous consumption is the primary reason why most people buy such a car. Showing off your wealth under green cover is an accepted social convention amongst the wealthy elite in the Silicon Valley.

http://blog.gravity.com/2013/07/31/what-your-electric-car-says-about-you/

[sir pball]

67. Sounds like the battery packs just need some armoring *shrug*

Kevlar is light and fairly inexpensive. I think this is more a case of poor forethought rather than inherently unsafe design.