Tesla Model S Explodes on Impact
Casey Speckman from Indianapolis was driving her boss Kevin McCarthy’s Model S when she swerved to avoid another car. She hit a tree and a parking garage. Soon after, the Model S explodes, with battery packs still exploding when first responders arrive. Though Casey was heavily intoxicated at the time, her father is blaming Tesla for her demise, asserting that their lithium ion battery packs are not safe. “Had she been in another vehicle she would have been alive for me to yell at her for driving after drinking,” said Jon Speckman, Casey’s father during an interview with the Indianapolis Star.
His opinion is not shared by the Indianapolis responders. Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Jones is quoted as saying: “If you have collisions at high rates of speed with impacts like that, regardless if it’s a traditional power vehicle via gasoline or hybrid or all electric, you can see a fire in a vehicle like that or severe damage. And so to say it was simply because it was an electric vehicle, you can’t say that because we’ve seen collisions that are non-electric vehicles with just as bad of damage or fire.”
The Indianapolis coroner has recorded her death as a result of injuries from the crash with fire as a contributing factor. Kevin McCarthy, however, died as a direct result of the subsequent explosion and fire.
Tesla’s Metal-Air Battery Patent Is Approved
Electrek reports that Tesla’s Metal-Air Battery Patent has been approved. Metal-Air has been a possible option for several years now, but Li-ion batteries have continued to be the preferred method. However, Tesla submitted the patent with recent improvements suggesting the possibility of a change to electric battery packs. The patent report states:
“A method for charging a metal-air battery pack at the maximum possible rate while maintaining an ambient oxygen concentration below a preset concentration is provided, thereby minimizing the risks associated with generating oxygen during the charging cycle.”
Whether or not Tesla will use this new patent is yet to be seen. Tesla often patents technology to prevent the competition from stonewalling them.