Battery fire takes edge off Tesla gains | Adelaide Now -g-icon-error cloudy-day nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right 0A0871E9-1636-49F4-9041-2E36E2B

The battery fire hit Tesla gainsrestesla Motors Inc. 's stock price again overnight as the company's flagship model, S. sedan, had a battery fire in Washington this week and analysts said it could suffer
Shares fell by 5.
7 cents to 17 dollars.
In the afternoon trading after falling more than six percentage points on Wednesday, the company's market value was once close to $3.
After the accident, images and videos of the burning car were uploaded online and a fire broke out in southern Seattle on Tuesday morning.
Tesla confirmed that the car caught fire after the driver hit a "large metal object", causing extensive damage to the front end of the vehicle.
Fire officials say this is road waste.
Analysts say images of news reports and burning cars will be a PR nightmare for Silicon Valley
Electric car manufacturers led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Before the incident, Tesla's shares soared nearly six times this year.
"Tesla is a very controversial stock that will feed the bear.
They will say it will reduce sales, "said R. W.
Ben Kallo, Baird analyst.
On Wednesday, for valuation reasons, he lowered the rating to "neutral ".
He said he thought the fire had done minor damage to sales, but he and other analysts still expected strong demand.
This is not the first time an electric car has caught fire with a battery because GM's Chevrolet Volt and Mitsubishi's I-MiEV.
Analysts pointed out that in the Washington incident, warnings inside the Model S reminded drivers to have enough time to park and leave, and the fire never entered the car.
Given that Tesla's Model S and discontinued sports cars have been traveling for 0. 113 billion miles, this is the first time a battery has caught fire, and the company's speed of fire is still only once --
Craig Owen, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said the frequency of traditional car fires is tenth.
His rating of the stock was "neutral.
However, this is a bad news for a company that only produces electric vehicles, compared with mainstream car manufacturers like General Motors, which account for a small proportion of electric vehicles.
James Albertin, analyst at Nicolaus & Co, said in a research report: "Tesla's" bar "is much higher given the lack of vehicle diversity . ".
"Tesla cannot withstand the continued impact of consumer complaints and incidents that could weaken the demand curve for the next car.
He has a "hold" rating on Tesla's stock.
Tesla officials say batteries and cars work as designed to keep the fire under control and give drivers time to stop and leave the car safely.
Tesla spokesman Elizabeth Jarvis-"The fire was caused by a large metal object directly hitting one of the 16 modules in the Model S battery packShean said.
"Because, according to the design, each module in the battery pack is isolated by a fire barrier to limit any potential damage, she added:" The fire in the battery pack is contained in a small part of the front of the vehicle. ".
The incident report submitted by Kent Fire Department in Washington state describes how firefighters can put out the fire, but the fire is reignited under the car and the water just seems to have intensified the flame.
They then used dry chemical fire extinguishers to put out most of the fires in the battery pack at the front end of the vehicle.
"(Fireman) had to Pierce multiple holes in the package in order to spray water on the burning material in the battery," it was reported . ".
Firefighters then use high
Lift the jack to reveal the chassis of the car to approach the battery pack and cut the entrance holes using a circular saw, the report said.
Analysts at research firm Kelly's Blue Book say road debris could damage the vehicle's cooling system, causing a fire.
They also saidS.
The closure of the government will prevent any investigation.
Tesla's battery pack consists of small lithium batteries.
Ion batteries are also used in laptops, which are not used by other car manufacturers.
The battery pack extends to the bottom of the vehicle.
In contrast, GM uses large
Format the battery in T-
The shape of the voltage center.
Panasonic, which supplies the batteries used by Model S, declined to comment.
The automotive industry is increasingly turning to lithium.
Ion batteries, not cheaper, but heavier nickel-
Toyota still uses metal hydrogen batteries at its topselling Prius.
The largest General Motors Company in the United StatesS.
Car manufacturers, using lithium
Ion battery in Chevrolet Volt plug
In the hybrid, while the smaller U. S.
RivalMotor Co uses the same technology in its green car, including C-Max hybrid.
This technology is popular in the latest generation of this car because the battery can be lighter, smaller and can maintain a longer capacity. Lithium-
The ion battery is about half the weight of nickel.
Metal hydrogen batteries.
Still, the Tesla fire is even worse news for a technology that has become a concern for some, says Albertin of Stifel.
Model S is the most popular pure electric vehicle in the United States. as of September, sales are expected to be 14,300 this year.
It won five in August.
Star safety rating from the United StatesS.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is in each test category.
The model is also the highest rating given by the influential magazine Consumer Report, with a score of 99 out of 100.
Wedbush's Irwin says the fire will be a "learning opportunity" for Tesla to make potential design changes for Model X, which is the crossover of Model S next year so-
Known as the Gen 3 model, a new battery family
A power contract priced at about $35,000.