Tesla in the US Drained Without Prior Warning, Doors Locked
Rescuers Break Glass to Save After Unable to Find Another Way
In the United States, a Tesla battery unexpectedly discharged without any prior warning, causing a 20-month-old child to become trapped alone in the vehicle.
According to CNN and other outlets on the 21st (local time), Rene Sanchez, who lives in Arizona, experienced a distressing incident while taking her 20-month-old granddaughter to the zoo. Just as she was about to sit in the driver's seat after placing the baby in the rear seat car seat of the Tesla Model Y electric vehicle, the car door suddenly locked automatically. As a result, Sanchez was unable to get inside the car, and neither her mobile phone nor the card key could unlock the door. Moreover, the temperature that day soared to 40 degrees Celsius, making it impossible to leave the child alone in the vehicle for an extended period in the sweltering heat.
She urgently called for rescue, but the rescuers could not find a way to open the door. Sanchez pleaded, "I don't care if you have to cut my car in half, just save my granddaughter." Eventually, the rescuers had no choice but to break the rear seat window with an axe to rescue the child. Tesla electric vehicles are supposed to send three warnings to the driver before the battery discharges. Therefore, alarms or vehicle warning sounds should be triggered before discharge, but Sanchez reportedly did not receive any of these alerts.
CNN explained that the process for electric vehicle drivers to open the door from outside the vehicle involves "a lengthy and complicated series of steps related to wiring and battery chargers," noting that "many Tesla owners as well as rescuers are unaware of this."
Tesla's battery discharge issues have occurred multiple times in the past. Just a few days ago, a woman was trapped in her car due to battery discharge, and three months ago, a man was trapped inside his vehicle while driving on the highway. Last year in South Korea, a Tesla vehicle collided with a guardrail and the doors locked, trapping the driver inside. Citizens broke the window to rescue the driver, who fortunately survived, but was seriously injured when the car caught fire.
In January, a "polar vortex" hit the United States, causing wind chills in the Midwest to drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, leading to incidents where Tesla electric vehicles discharged and were towed in areas including Chicago. At that time, the US daily newspaper The New York Times (NYT) reported, "Electric vehicle charging stations in Chicago became scenes of despair due to battery discharges, confrontations among drivers, and long lines extending outside."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
