Have you ever noticed how small airplane crashes always hit the top headlines? Even though it is a well known fact that air travel is actually safer than driving. And in fact, the reason is probably because there are so few. But there is a “splash” factor that always gets the attention of the news, so they always make the headlines.
Now it seems a similar situation exists with EV’s, and in particular, Tesla. It may be because there are those out there who always like to downplay success – especially the success of Elon Musk – but there are also those who, for political or other reasons, like to toss a few darts toward the brand.
One of the most frequent questions I hear is, “But, aren’t you concerned your Tesla might catch fire?” My answer: “Not so much.” Why?
A recent study “Smart Insights” study found some really interesting statistics. On average, 213,000 cars catch fire every year in the United States. But surprisingly, hybrid and plug in hybrid vehicles are much more at risk than any of the others! According to the latest data on car fires from the NTSB, battery-electric vehicles are only 0.03% likely to ignite, compared to 1.5% for gas-powered vehicles and 3.4% for hybrid vehicles.
Tesla didn’t even make the top 10 list.