On February 29th, an online video showed a white Tesla and a pink Xiaopeng racing on a rainy day in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The Xiaopeng vehicle lost control and crashed into a roadside obstacle, flying off the road, flipping over one after another, and the vehicle instantly caught fire. It is reported that the car is a P7 model under the Xiaopeng brand.
Witnesses have reported that the car lost control of its speed and crashed directly into a power pole, then hit a road sign, and then hit a tree, all of which were broken. "The scene was quite tragic, the entire car was burned to the bone," according to sources, the owner had unfortunately died on the spot.
It is reported that the public security has intervened in the investigation, and the casualties are not yet clear. The cause of the accident is under further investigation and handling.
Xiaopeng Motors told 21st Century Business Herald reporters that they are very saddened by the injuries to personnel and vehicles caused by the accident. At the same time, after receiving a collision accident alarm in the background, Xiaopeng immediately made an outbound call and coordinated local personnel to rush to the scene of the accident. At present, relevant departments have sealed off the accident scene for detailed accident investigation. Xiaopeng Motors is cooperating with relevant departments to handle the accident, and also providing necessary support and proper arrangements for the owner's family members.
Experts have pointed out that the main problem of accidents is still driving too fast. Driving at super high speeds can easily cause loss of control on sunny days, and accidents are more likely to occur on wet and slippery roads on rainy days. It is normal for vehicles to collide and catch fire at such speeds.
According to the driving recorder of the witnessed vehicle, there was water on the road at that time, and the vehicle's speed was around 100km/h, but it was still easily surpassed by Xiaopeng and Tesla, especially the former Xiaopeng P7, which was almost instantaneous. It is speculated that the vehicle's speed reached 150km/h at that time.
Why does the vehicle catch fire quickly after a collision? Public information shows that if there is no large amount of flammable materials on the vehicle, the likely cause of a new energy vehicle fire is the battery in the chassis of the electric vehicle. After being collided or squeezed, the battery pack may deform or be pierced by sharp objects, causing a short circuit between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery cells. The internal temperature of the battery will increase, generating a large amount of heat and gas. The thermal management of the battery itself will lose control, leading to smoke or fire.
Even though most host manufacturers and power battery manufacturers are striving to improve their technology to ensure battery safety, striving to never catch fire. However, due to the presence of chassis battery packs, fires may occur under various conditions such as compression. Car companies can only continuously overcome technical difficulties and reduce the probability of battery fires. However, it is still impossible to completely rule out the potential risk of self ignition caused by compression, collision, and other factors.
In addition, improper charging, high temperature and overheating, and battery deformation can also easily cause new energy vehicles to catch fire. New energy vehicle owners should develop good charging habits during use, avoid using fast charging stations for long periods of time, and ensure regular maintenance, especially by checking the power battery and related circuits
In response to the incident, some netizens stated that on rainy days, the car "raced" at such a high speed, causing a collision. "Fuel powered cars will also crash and disintegrate, let alone electric cars."
As of the time of publication, the police have not yet disclosed the cause of the accident and the specific casualties. However, it should be noted that this accident has reminded all car owners, whether driving gasoline or new energy vehicles, that they should maintain good driving habits, avoid emotional racing and speeding, comply with traffic regulations, and drive with caution in rainy, snowy, foggy and other weather conditions.