January 8, 2025 – A Tesla electric vehicle caught fire in the small town of Pontarlier, located in the east of France near the Swiss border. The incident occurred on Sunday evening when a Tesla Model S, which was being charged at the town’s Supercharger station, suddenly ignited. The fire department responded promptly and extinguished the fire. Currently, Tesla is investigating the incident, and the charging station has been temporarily shut down.
According to the local newspaper L’Est Republicain, the vehicle involved was a Model S, which was connected to a Supercharger for charging when the fire broke out. Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control, monitoring the vehicle until the early morning to prevent reignition. Photos published by the newspaper showed the Model S completely gutted by the fire, reduced to a mere shell.
The newspaper also reported that Tesla dispatched a technician from Lyon to investigate the cause of the fire. “A Tesla technician arrived from Lyon that evening to investigate the cause of the fire. The investigation is still ongoing,” the report stated.
Statistically speaking, the probability of electric vehicle fires is not higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles. Similar to fires in fuel vehicles, most electric vehicle fires occur after serious collisions. However, there are also instances of spontaneous vehicle fires. Investigating such incidents and identifying their causes are crucial to enhancing the safety of electric vehicles.
