Over 30 First Generation Tesla Roadsters Lost in a Fire

18 Oct
2021

Gruber Motors had a terrible fire over the weekend that started with a faulty building electrical panel, and lost 30+ first generation Tesla Roadsters.  There were so few Roadsters made (around 2,450) that such a loss is not inconsequential & could represent 2% or more of all remaining Tesla Roadsters on Earth (assuming others have been totaled/scrapped for other reasons over the years- and some definitely have).

I found out about this sad news today and it made me wonder if there could be a way to improve the odds when things like this happen.  Lithium Ion batteries fires are notoriously hard/impossible to extinguish once battery packs are ignited, and for a unique company like Gruber Motors who service and repair these older Roadsters, the chances of fire spreading from vehicle to vehicle to a catastrophic end have unfortunately proven to be high (this is their second fire in about 4 years).  I thought of a few ideas including some kind of in-floor conveyor belt system to help separate or force cars apart quickly, but none of that seemed very practical.

Events like this remind me of the importance of developing less volatile battery technologies, like solid state.

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