The Model S Plaid is the hottest and fastest car in the world right now.
It retails for $129,900 in the US, $169,900 in Canada.
This incident is headline news if mostly because the Tesla Model S Plaid has been making its own headlines since Musk revealed the super-sedan last month at the company’s Fremont factory. The fact that the car caught fire so unexpectedly is another reason.
The story goes that the owner, an executive entrepreneur, was driving their three-day-old Tesla Model S Plaid near their home when the car suddenly caught fire. At first, the driver could not open the doors as the electronic door system failed. With force, the driver was able to exit before the car rolled another 35 or 40 feet before it turned into a fireball.
Tesla Model S Plaid Deliveries Started Last Night in Special Event
Automotive News reports that, when contacted by Reuters, Tesla had no immediate comments on the incident. As always in such situations, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been made aware of the incident and has said: “If data or investigations show a defect or an inherent risk to safety exists, NHTSA will take action as appropriate to protect the public.”
For the Plaid, Tesla developed a new battery pack. In a conference call touching on the Plaid’s production delays, Musk said: “It took quite a bit of development to ensure that the battery of the new S/X is safe. There were more challenges than expected in developing the new version.”
