While articles covering a fire involving a Tesla Motors vehicle seem to be common, news of non-electric vehicles burning is rare, although there were an estimated 212,500 vehicle fires in 2018 alone, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Now Tesla is releasing new data in its2020 impact report, showing fires in its vehicles are 11x less likely than other vehicles in the U.S. Tesla points out that while vehicle fires in the media often point to EVs, the reasoning may be the rarity of an electric vehicle fire, rather than the prevalence.
Tesla's data shows there was one Tesla fire every 205 million miles from 2012 to 2020. This is compared with data from the NFPA showing on average there is a vehicle fire every 19 million miles. Tesla also points out that its vehicle fire data include fires from structures, arson and other reasons, as to be comparable with NFPA data.
The company says it is continually working to improve the safety of its cars, including modifications to battery chemistry and enclosures to minimize fire risk, as well as maximize fire containment in the event of a fire. Tesla also provides ample information for first responders to be ready to have the fastest and most effective response in a fire event.