Both new car manufacturers and traditional automakers face safety challenges with electric vehicles.
Car Things ｜ James
According to foreign media Electrek, on February 16 local time, a Porsche Taycan electric vehicle caught fire and exploded in a residential area in Florida, USA. The incident resulted in the complete destruction of the Porsche Taycan and severe damage to the garage, fortunately, there were no casualties.
▲ Report from foreign media Electrek
It is understood that the burning and exploding vehicle was one of the first 130 Porsche Taycans delivered in the United States. This is also the first incident of fire and explosion involving the Porsche Taycan electric vehicle since its delivery in December last year. After the incident, a Porsche spokesperson stated that the company is aware of the event and that no one was injured in this incident. He also mentioned that it is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident, and Porsche has dispatched personnel to investigate the incident.
First Explosion Incident of Porsche Taycan, No Casualties Reported
On February 16 local time, a Porsche Taycan electric vehicle caught fire and exploded in a residential area in Florida, USA. This is the first incident of fire and explosion involving the Porsche Taycan electric vehicle since its delivery. The fire at the accident scene has been extinguished, and there were no casualties.
▲ Remains of the vehicle after the fire was extinguished
Video information shows that after the fire was brought under control, the Porsche Taycan was burned beyond recognition, and could only be identified by the unburned frame shape. The garage where the vehicle was parked was also severely burned, and it is unclear whether the structural integrity of the house was affected. Additionally, alarms were ringing continuously at the scene, which was in disarray.
▲ Roof of the garage burned by the fireAmong the burned remains, a serrated steel structure can be vaguely seen at the rear wheel position, which is consistent with the design of the Porsche Taycan model. This serrated steel structure can tightly interlock with the serrated aluminum structure of the wheel hub below.Due to the high burning temperature at the time, the aluminum structure below, which has a lower melting point, melted away, while the steel structure above, which has a higher melting point, remained intact.
▲ The frame structure of the Porsche Taycan and the serrated aluminum structure above the burned remains of the rear wheelA user named options trader first exposed this news on social media, stating that the Porsche Taycan exploded in a garage in Florida, along with a 19-second video of the scene. This news was initially posted at 10:42 AM local time on February 17, nearly a day after the incident occurred.
▲ The tweet that first exposed this incidentAfter this tweet was exposed, it attracted the attention of many netizens. Currently, the 19-second video has nearly 50,000 views. Additionally, the user filmed a segment of video outside the garage before leaving the scene. The video shows thick smoke billowing, and firefighters are withdrawing from the scene.
▲ Scene of the Porsche Taycan burning
As of the time of publication, the user named options trader has deleted the previously posted video. He stated that he deleted the video at the request of the Porsche Taycan owner. He also mentioned that Porsche hopes to resolve this matter quickly.
▲ Screenshot of the social media post by the video publisher
It is understood that since December 2019, Porsche has gradually delivered the first batch of 130 Taycan electric sports cars in the United States, all of which are Porsche Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S models. The Porsche Taycan 4S began deliveries in Europe last week, but has not yet been delivered in the U.S. market. It can be inferred that the burning and exploding Porsche Taycan is likely a Taycan Turbo or Taycan Turbo S.The starting price for the Porsche Taycan Turbo or Taycan Turbo S in the U.S. is $150,900 (approximately 1,056,300 RMB, with a pre-sale price of 1,498,000 RMB on the Chinese official website), making it a luxury sports car. Currently, Bill Gates, who ranks second on the Forbes Billionaires List, owns a Porsche Taycan.After the incident, foreign media Electrek contacted Porsche, and a Porsche spokesperson stated that the company is aware of the event and that no one was injured in this incident.Additionally, the spokesperson also mentioned that it is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident, and Porsche has dispatched personnel to investigate the incident.The cause of the Porsche Taycan fire is still under investigation, but domestic research institutions have previously summarized certain reasons for electric vehicle fires.Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, previously stated in a speech that the main reason for electric vehicle fires is battery thermal runaway. Runaway occurs when the temperature of the power battery exceeds a certain limit, triggering a chain reaction, causing the battery temperature to rise rapidly (up to thousands of degrees per second), leading to combustion. The reasons for this phenomenon can be roughly categorized into three types:First, the vehicles that catch fire mainly use ternary lithium batteries with poorer thermal stability, accounting for more than half.Second, the battery packaging method of the vehicles that catch fire is mainly cylindrical lithium batteries, which, due to their sturdy steel shell, experience a rapid increase in internal pressure when heated and decomposing, making them prone to explosion and quickly igniting the entire battery module.Third, fire incidents often occur during the charging phase, especially when fully charged.However, most of the electric vehicles that have experienced combustion incidents are older models with aging components. It is still unclear whether this Taycan self-ignited or was ignited by an external flame.
Released in September Last Year, Comparable Performance to Tesla Model S
The Porsche Taycan was initially released on September 4, 2019, in Berlin, Germany, and is Porsche’s first pure electric sports car.This electric sports car boasts impressive performance, with the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S models having maximum power outputs of 500 kW and 560 kW, respectively. The Taycan Turbo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds, while the Taycan Turbo S does it in 2.8 seconds.Both the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Turbo S have a battery capacity of 93.4 kWh, with WLTP ranges of 450 km and 412 km, respectively. Both models feature all-wheel drive and can reach a top speed of 260 km/h.Additionally, the Porsche Taycan is the first mass-produced vehicle with a system voltage of 800V, while common electric vehicles typically have a system voltage of only 400V. Therefore, the Porsche Taycan can charge at a higher power. According to data released by Porsche, the Taycan can achieve a WLTP range of 100 km with just over 5 minutes of high-power DC charging. Under ideal charging conditions, the Taycan can charge from 5% to 80% in just 22.5 minutes and supports a maximum charging power of 270 kW. Furthermore, the Porsche Taycan can also be charged using household AC power at 11 kW.The Porsche Taycan is expected to be introduced to the Chinese market early this year. Currently, based on national standards, 800V charging stations can achieve a maximum charging power of 200 kW.
▲ Porsche Taycan pure electric sports carThe starting price for the Porsche Taycan Turbo is $150,900 (approximately 1,056,300 RMB, with a pre-sale price of 1,498,000 RMB on the Chinese official website), while the starting price for the Taycan Turbo S is $185,000 (approximately 1,295,000 RMB, with a pre-sale price of 1,798,000 RMB on the Chinese official website).In October 2019, Porsche updated the Taycan model, adding the entry-level Taycan 4S model, which has a reduced battery capacity of 79.2 kWh and a maximum output power of 390 kW. The starting price for the Taycan 4S model is $103,800 (approximately 726,600 RMB, with a pre-sale price of 1,148,000 RMB on the Chinese official website). Starting last week, Porsche began to gradually deliver the Taycan 4S model, which has not yet been delivered in the U.S.
Conclusion:Traditional Automakers Also Face Safety Challenges with Electric Vehicles
In recent years, news of electric vehicle fires has often attracted public attention, and Tesla, as the best-selling electric vehicle globally, has seen every combustion incident garner worldwide attention, with some accusing Tesla’s batteries of having certain safety hazards.In the past two years, more and more traditional automakers have also launched electric vehicles, and incidents of fires and even explosions have occurred. In 2019, a Hyundai Kona electric SUV experienced an explosion in Canada, and less than a year later, a Porsche electric sports car also experienced a fire and explosion incident.Therefore, whether new or established automakers, all face significant challenges in the wave of electrification.
