A Tesla Model 3 sedan exploded in a Chinese parking garage this week, according to local media reports.
The car exploded Tuesday night in an underground parking garage in a residential community in Shanghai, where Tesla opened a factory in late 2019, several Chinese media reported.
Tesla told reporters that no one was injured in the crash, but the flames from the blast contaminated the car’s interior and appeared to be charring the body, according to published photos of the scene.
The manufacturer of electric cars told local media that the incident was probably caused by the underside of the car that damaged the battery.
The vehicle apparently caught fire after the bottom of a manhole cover slammed shut when the driver pulled into the garage, Shanghai’s Xinmin Evening News reported, referring to the complex’s real estate office.
According to Yesai Global, a financial news agency, Tesla said it is cooperating with the local fire department and helping the owner claim insurance.
It is unclear whether the Model 3 vehicle was manufactured at Tesla’s factory in Shanghai or imported from the USA. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post on Thursday morning.
The blast comes amid safety issues over Tesla’s vehicles in China, which is an increasingly important market for the company led by Elon Musk.
The state-run Economic Information Daily published an article earlier this month criticizing Tesla’s driver assistance technology and the retractable door handles of its cars. This followed Tesla’s recall in October of about 30,000 vehicles in China due to suspension problems, which were allegedly caused by ‘driver abuse’ rather than a defect.
Tesla also sent a team to China in 2019 to investigate reports of one of the Model S sedans exploding.
Tesla shares rose 0.6 percent Thursday to $ 856 at 7:21 p.m.