A 48-year-German driver died on Thursday when his car hit the barrier in the central reservation of a motorway in the southern canton of Ticino, turned over and burst into flames.
“The violent impact of Lithium-ion batteries could probably have caused a phenomenon called ‘thermal runaway’, i.e. a rapid and unstoppable increase in temperature,” Ticino fire brigade said on its Facebook page on Monday.
Lithium-ion batteries can, under very exceptional circumstances, have a sudden and unstoppable increase in temperature, in a sort of chain reaction that leads to the complete destruction of the batteries and the car, said fire safety expert Guido Zaccarelli in an article quoted by the firefighters.
A Tesla spokesman said: “We are deeply saddened by this accident, and we are working to establish the facts of the incident and offer our full cooperation to local authorities.”
More
More
Fast and futuristic, but are electric cars for everyone?
This content was published on
Marco Piffaretti started engineering firm Protoscar at the age of 22 to develop technical and design solutions for environmentally-friendly mobility. Between 2009 and 2011, the Ticino company presented three models of the Lampo, an electric sports car that can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. swissinfo.ch: There’s been talk of electric cars…
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
“No US tariff negotiations”: Swiss economics minister
This content was published on
Switzerland has yet to enter formal tariff negotiations with the United States despite making contact with the administration.
Soaring cocoa prices hit Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut suffered from soaring cocoa prices in the first half of the 2024-2025 financial year.
Switzerland faces income losses from US tariffs, says ETH Zurich
This content was published on
Compared to Germany and France, Switzerland would face “significantly higher losses,” says ETH Zurich’s Centre for Economic Research (KOF).
Christian Oppliger named new head of the Swiss Air Force
This content was published on
Christian Oppliger has been named the new head of the Swiss Air Force, starting on October 1. He succeeds Peter Merz, who will become CEO of Skyguide.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF6 million for earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand
This content was published on
The earthquake in March caused severe destruction, especially in Myanmar, where the humanitarian situation is already dire, according to Swiss Solidarity.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.