Following the active promotion of the apparent benefits of electric cars in adverse weather conditions in Northern Europe, it seems that one particular owner in Finland, Tuomas Katainen, is less than convinced.
He owned a 2013 Tesla Model S for the first 1,000 miles, and then error codes started to appear. He arranged for the Tesla to be taken by trailer to his most local Tesla service centre, having had to wait for a month before the centre informed him that the complete battery cell needed replacing. At the cost of approximately £16,200.
Additionally, they would not guarantee that replacing the battery cell would correct the issue!
Tuomas was at his ‘wits’ end’, as can be entirely understood. He decided the best way forward was to have the car professionally blown up. To be a little more precise, 30Kg of dynamite was attached to his Musk Mobile, set in a safe environment and blown to smithereens.
Two things come to mind; firstly, don’t try this at home, children, and secondly, what on earth will happen to all of the spent batteries in the future. The electric community are confident that at least 50% of the battery can be recycled.
However, the more complex components to recycle are the cell and the precious metals inside, especially since this can be dangerous to access. The electrolyte is flammable, explosive and highly toxic. It’s susceptible to water and forms hydrofluoric acid upon contact with water.