Automotive News: They thought they were saving the environment – Father and son cremated in Electric Car

A beloved teenage honors student and his father were killed in a “self-driving” Tesla Model 3 that suddenly veered off the road without warning, slammed into a tree and then burst into flames, according to a wrongful death suit filed by the boy’s mother.

At the same time, the vehicle’s electric-powered door handles became inoperable once the battery system caught fire, preventing the two from getting out or rescuers getting in – a serious issue that has similarly doomed others riding in Teslas – Shantorria Herring’s complaint alleges.

“Consequently, both occupants burned to death in the thermal runaway and fire that occurred after impact,” the complaint states.

“Thermal runaway” describes a chain reaction of battery short-circuits ultimately resulting in a domino effect of uncontrollable combustion, with temperatures that get so hot, they can literally pulverize a person’s bones – in other words cremating the bodies. Electric Car Battery fires burn far more intensely than gasoline fires, and make it easier for the rest of the car to ignite, while making it far more difficult for firefighters to contain such a blaze.

The amount of pollution caused by the Electric Car blaze set the environment back years. See the full story at The Independent