A video on Chinese social media showing a parked Tesla car exploding will be investigated by the American electric car maker. Tesla says it had sent a team to investigate the video, which viewed over five million times and widely shared on China's Twitter-like Weibo. It showed a parked Tesla S starting to emit smoke from its bonnet before exploding and bursting into flames, damaging surrounding cars. A time stamp on the video showed that incident happened on Sunday evening. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the origins of the video, which Weibo users said was taken in Shanghai.<doc-sep>A Tesla Model S appears to emit smoke and erupt into flames in a Shanghai parking garage in a video posted to Weibo over the weekend. Tesla said it's investigating why the car, which was not charging at the time, appeared to spontaneously combust. While Tesla sells some of the safest cars on the roads, its batteries can be particularly tricky for firefighters. Tesla is investigating a fire that appears to have been started by a Model S in a parking garage in Shanghai. Video on the Chinese social-networking platform Weibo that first surfaced Sunday evening appears to show the car emitting smoke before erupting into flames, igniting several other cars in the area. Business Insider was not able to verify the videos, which were first reported by the local blog Shanghaiist. Shanghai's fire department said on Weibo that it dispatched 15 fire engines to the scene, where it took just under an hour to extinguish the blaze. Authorities confirmed that the fire spread to an Audi and a Lexus parked nearby. In response, Tesla's official Weibo account said it the company was aware of the incident and was investigating the cause. Here's its comment, translated by Business Insider: "After learning about the accident in Shanghai, we dispatched our team to the scene last night. We are in active communication with the relevant departments and coordinating for the situation as appropriate. According to currently available information, there are no casualties." Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. In an interview with China's Xinmin Evening News, the car's owner said the 2015 Model S was not charging at the time of the fire but had been charged a few hours prior. While Tesla sells some of the safest cars on the roads, its batteries can be particularly tricky for firefighters. Last week, another Model S caught fire shortly after being towed to a repair shop in Pennsylvania, despite word from Tesla that the battery had been disconnected and would not catch fire. According to Reuters, there have been at least 14 instances of Tesla vehicles igniting in the past six years, most of which have occurred after a crash. Battery fires can burn hotter and longer than those of Tesla's gasoline-powered counterparts. Tesla's own documentation for first responders says a fire in the Model S can take up to 3,000 gallons of water to establish sufficient cooling for the battery. Starr Chen assisted with reporting. More Tesla news:<doc-sep>CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 14: Engineer and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk of The Boring Company listens as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel talks about constructing a high speed transit tunnel at Block 37 during a news conference on June 14, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Musk said he could create a 16-passenger vehicle to operate on a high-speed rail system that could get travelers to and from downtown Chicago and O'hare International Airport under twenty minutes, at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images) Tesla's Model 3 is a top seller. But it's not the electric car for everyone Elon Musk has a lot to say about Covid-19. Some of it isn't true Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk introduces the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla Cybertruck at Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California on November 21, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) In 2010, Elon Musk had big plans for Tesla. Listen to his predictions Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during the unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y in Hawthorne, California on March 14, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) Fatal Tesla crash had no one in the driver's seat, police say A Tesla car charges at a Tesla Supercharger station on April 26, 2021 in Corte Madera, California. Tesla will report first quarter earnings today after the closing bell. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (CNN Business) — Tesla is investigating after one of its vehicles appeared to explode in China. A short video of surveillance footage posted on Chinese social media site Weibo (WB) showed white smoke emerging from what looks like a white Tesla car parked at a lot in Shanghai. After a few seconds, the electric vehicle bursts into flames and the clip ends soon afterward. The video, which was filmed just after 8:15 pm local time on April 21, appears to show a Tesla Model S sedan. It was posted on Chinese social media a couple of hours later and has since been shared widely. Tesla (TSLA) would not confirm any of the details, other than to say it is investigating the incident alongside Chinese authorities. “We immediately sent a team on-site and we’re supporting local authorities to establish the facts. From what we know now, no one was harmed,” a Tesla spokesperson told CNN Business on Monday. The clip attracted a mix of derision and outrage on Weibo. “Us car owners demand an explanation,” wrote user Miao Hongyang. “Jeopardizing our safety in a moment’s instant and the fact it ignited so quickly is something we will not tolerate.” Another Weibo user registered under the name Your Dad, added: “One thing I’ve learned from this incident: from now on, don’t ever park next to a Tesla.” China is huge for Tesla This isn’t the first time one of Tesla’s cars has appeared to burst into flames, but previous incidents often involved moving vehicles or vehicles that had crashed. “It seems strange that the battery, not charging, would combust on its own,” said Tu Le, founder of consultant firm Sino Auto Insights. Tesla has previously said that gasoline-powered cars are 10 times more likely to catch fire than those powered by electric batteries. China is a hugely important market for Tesla. The country accounts for about 20% of the company’s annual revenues, or more than $2 billion in sales. But its share of this market is still tiny. The company wants to supercharge sales in China with a new factory in Shanghai. Tesla eventually hopes to produce 500,000 cars at the facility every year. But Tesla is also grappling with a slowdown in the Chinese economy, which has already hit foreign brands including GM (GM) and Ford (F). Import tariffs resulting from the trade war with the United States have seen Tesla prices in China fluctuate wildly. It also has to contend with heavy competition from Chinese players, such as BYD (BYDDF) and NIO (NIO). Don Giolzetti contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A video that appears to show a white Tesla Model S exploding in Shanghai—set to be home to the US electric car firm’s first overseas factory—has been widely shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo, prompting the company to investigate. “We immediately sent a team on site and we’re supporting local authorities to establish the facts. From what we know now, no one was harmed,” a Tesla China spokesperson said in an email statement. The video began circulating last night (April 21), and posts with the hashtag #Tesla self-ignites” or 特斯拉自燃, have drawn nearly 18 million views as of Monday morning. The 22-second long recording showed a sedan in a parking garage emitting smoke from its chassis before exploding, and bursting into flames. An Audi car was parked right next to the Model S, but it was unclear if it sustained damage. Posted by a user (link in Chinese) called Xiu Jian Cong Ye De Liu Dai from China’s northeastern Shandong Province, it showed a time stamp of Sunday around 8:15 pm local time. The user said that the explosion took place in Shanghai, and wrote in comments under the post that he obtained the video from a social media group for Tesla car owners. In the video, the Chinese character “沪(hu)” can be seen on the plate, which is the shorthand for Shanghai. The handle didn’t immediately respond to questions from Quartz. The video was also shared on Twitter. Last week, a parked Tesla in the US caught fire after being transported to a garage in Pennsylvania to examine its possible role in a fire that broke out in a garage attached to its owner’s home. Tesla has also said it is looking at that fire. The Shanghai video comes as Tesla has increased its investment in China, the firm’s biggest overseas market. Construction started earlier this year on it first overseas Gigafactory in Shanghai—the first entirely foreign-owned car plant in China. Tesla hopes to begin manufacturing by the end of the year, and will produce its Model 3 and Model Y cars for the China market at the $2-billion facility. The plant could help it minimize effects from trade tensions between China and the US—the firm imports all the cars it sells in China from the US, paying hefty import duties compared with foreign brands manufactured in locally through joint ventures. Tesla saw revenue from China last year drop 13% compared with 2017, as tariffs increased its prices in China. Meanwhile, last month, Shanghai’s customs officials temporarily held 1,600 Model 3s over labeling issues. Looking for more in-depth coverage? Sign up to become a member and read more in-depth coverage of China’s electric-car boom in our field guide.