Horror moment Tesla driver sent flying after charger explodes in 'arc flash' blast
The terrifying footage shows the man being knocked to the ground after a fireball erupted at a Tesla charging point in Hope, British Columbia, Canada
A Tesla driver was thrown to the ground after a terrifying explosion while trying to charge his car with an adapter.
The terrifying explosion was caught on camera and showed a fireball erupting at the charging point in Hope, British Columbia. Reports say the device - a non-Tesla A27 EV adapter - malfunctioned and triggered a roaring explosion. The man can be seen standing beside the car as flames engulf the charger and send plumes of smoke into the sky, before he is thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion.
The driver is seen stumbling and falling down again before he finally manages to stand up. A passenger - who was in the vehicle at the time - is seen racing over to check on him.
The victim was left with minor scrapes and his vehicle suffered burn marks, Technical Safety BC said.
The adapter had been used around 50 times before the explosion. It's understood that a number of malfunctions happened at once, including a short circuit in the fast charger that sent an abnomal voltage through the device, causing the explosion seen in footage.
Experts refer to the malfunction as an "arc-flash", which unleashes a blast of heat and light.
It's often caused by plugging the device into a higher voltage, or moisture or damage to the insulation layer, the National Fire Protection Association said.
The manufacturer A2Z EV said it has launched a probe, which determined it was the charging station where the malfunction started. Their statement read: "[The inspection] discovered no manufacturing or insulation defect in the connected A2Z EV adapter.
“The damage observed was consistent with exposure to an external ground fault originating from the charger,” the company added. "The adapter became a secondary path for current once the charger’s internal fault energized the ground circuit.”
“We will remain transparent with our customers, partners, and regulators as we work together to build a stronger and safer EV charging ecosystem,” A2Z said.
The company's CEO gave his own statement to the Vancouver Sun, saying: “It’s not something that we wanted to see happen, especially not with our adapter or with any adapter on the market, because this creates fear with EVs."