Tesla car catches fire in China, investigation underway

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The carmaker Tesla has sent an investigation team to Shanghai after a Tesla car burst into flames in a local garage, sparking a massive security concern of its cars.

A video taken by the closed-circuit camera showed that a white Tesla Model S sedan emitted smoke and burst into flames when parked in the underground lot just after 8:15 p.m. on Sunday, igniting three vehicles nearby.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, according to the official Weibo account of the carmaker.

The car owner, surnamed Dong, told reporters from the Voice of China that he parked the vehicle in the garage an hour before the fire, and that it wasn't charging. In fact, the car had supercharged just hours before the fire. "In less than 10 seconds, the fire turned into a blaze. Luckily, I was not in the car."

Tesla said in its latest post in Weibo on Monday that they have got in touch with the car owner, and "will continue to communicate. At the same time, we are actively cooperating with the relevant departments to investigate, and will try our best to assist in dealing with the aftermath."

The incident fueled the fears of other Tesla owners who took to social media to say they hoped that the reason for the fire can be discovered as soon as possible.

This is not the first time a Tesla's vehicle has caught fire in China, let alone worldwide.

A Tesla Model S spontaneously caught fire in an underground garage in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in January 2018. And more fires have happened when vehicles were moving or crashed.

Tesla's CEO Elon Musk on Monday said the company is expecting to launch its self-driving robotaxis by 2020 in some U.S. markets.

"Probably two years from now we'll make a car with no steering wheels or pedals," predicted Musk who also acknowledged that he is often late to meeting aggressive targets.