After Tesla narrowly evaded a full-scale investigation on the Washington State incident, another example of its Model S saloon has caught fire, this time more severely and at the hands of a reportedly drunk driver in Mexico that crashed it straight through a wall, then into another one, while attempting to enter a roundabout in the town of Mérida, says Progreso Hoy.

They had a video up on October 18, so the two incidents are separated by around two weeks. Apparently, as Jalopnik reports, an official statement from Tesla has already been issued.

“We were able to contact the driver quickly and are pleased that he is safe. This was a significant accident where the car was traveling at such a high speed that it smashed through a concrete wall and then hit a large tree, yet the driver walked away from the car with no permanent injury. He is appreciative of the safety and performance of the car and has asked if we can expedite delivery of his next Model S.”

The Tesla Model S is definitely one of the fastest two-wheel drive cars off the line in the world, and from a standing start, it can hold its own against or even be quicker than more powerful mainstream rivals. We’ve seen countless videos of just how electric it really is, but only now are we starting to see what happens when that kind of swift progress is stopped by significant metallic debris that pierces the battery – fire breaks out, and because it’s an EV, people tend to react differently…

The heavily discussed Washington State incident had a negative and direct effect on company shares and cast some doubt in people’s minds as to the safety of the Model S in the event of a severe crash, something that is not hard at all to achieve, given the performance on tap.

By Andrei Nedelea

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