Tesla Inc. said it’s looking into a fire in Shanghai involving one of its vehicles after a video of a car bursting into flames was circulated on social media in China. The U.S. electric-car maker has sent a team to Shanghai and is in touch with local authorities, Tesla said on its official Sina Weibo account Monday. The incident could add to concern about the safety of electric vehicles using high energy density lithium batteries to extend driving ranges, as rapid expansion of China’s EV market pushed sales past 1 million units last year. In 2018, China recorded at least 40 fire-related incidents involving new-energy vehicles, a fleet that includes pure battery electric, hybrid plug-in and fuel-cell vehicles, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation. The Chinese regulator has called for scrutiny of new-energy vehicle quality and recalled more than 130,000 of these vehicles last year.

Source: Mint April 22, 2019 03:11 UTC