Tesla EV Cleared Of Explosion Accusations By Footage In Hidden Flash Drive
Image via Arcansel / Shutterstock.com
Earlier this year, it was reported that a Tesla Model Y was to blame for a fire that occurred in Dallas, Texas. At the time, it was suggested that a new Model Y had exploded and caused the residence near it to go up in flames.
Later, it was stated that it was more likely that the fire occurred due to pressurized gas such as propane, Electrek notes. However, this wasn’t enough to shift the narrative.
Now, a new video has been unearthed, showing that the car did not actually explode or start the fire, clearing its name from the case. And for that, we have Sentry Mode to thank.
Last year, Tesla began to include a USB drive in its vehicles’ gloveboxes to store videos captured in Sentry Mode. It’s a “unique layer of protection” for Tesla’s vehicles, acting as a standby state to keep watch of the car and owner’s surroundings. When a threat is detected, video recording kicks in.
Owners will “be able to download a video recording of an incident (which begins 10 minutes prior to the time a threat was detected) by inserting a formatted USB drive into their car before they enable Sentry Mode,” writes Tesla.
An unnamed party bought the same car that allegedly caught fire earlier this year, and the video was retrieved from Sentry Mode. A well-known Tesla hacker, who goes by Green, actually knows the buyer, and shared the salvaged video on Twitter on Thursday.
Interesting that (I presume) the owner was in the car and saw everything, escaping out (the car was plugged so cannot even drive it until unplugging. pic.twitter.com/Zf9OWYR3H6
— green (@greentheonly) August 25, 2021
It shows that the fire started from within the residence before spreading to the vehicle outside, contrary to the popular narrative. A second video also shows that there was someone in the car who managed to escape.
the pack itself. pic.twitter.com/VaLtrEonOg
— green (@greentheonly) August 25, 2021
Electrek points out that when an electric car catches fire, it usually comes from the battery pack before spreading outwards. However, a photo of this vehicle’s battery pack reveals that it’s still fully intact.
Of course, there are privacy concerns regarding the video footage being so easily accessible should the flash drive fall into the wrong hands. However, Green tells Electrek that Tesla is currently working on encryption to tackle exactly this.
[via Electrek, image via Arcansel / Shutterstock.com]
Also check out these recent news
