This is the moment a £190,000 McLaren plug-in hybrid sports car exploded into flames during a test drive.
The McLaren Artura, the supercar manufacturer’s first electrified car was engulfed while being taken out for a spin in Leeds, West Yorkshire, just a mile away from the motor dealership.
Pictures show the charred wreckage of the plug-in hybrid, which was recalled in the US this year over a fire hazard.
Fire crews raced to Pontefract Road in Stourton, Leeds, just before 2.30 pm yesterday.
It’s understood that the 23-plate car was on a test run with a client and a showroom employee when it unexpectedly caught alight. Both passengers escaped uninjured.
The motor, which can race to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 205mph was about a mile away from the McLaren Leeds dealership.
A spokesperson from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said that they received a call from the driver regarding a hybrid McLaren which went up in flames during its demo drive in Leeds, on the roundabout near the M1 at junction 44.
The spokesperson said they sent crews from Hunslet, which arrived on the scene at 2.35 p.m. They also sent a Hazardous Material Officer to dispose of the electrical battery. The fire was put out at 3:02 p.m. with no report of injury.
The Artura is McLaren’s first foray into the electrical market, featuring a 7.4Wh battery that powers a 94bhp electric motor. However, the supercar, built at McLaren’s composite arm in South Yorkshire, has had a rocky start.
The first launch was cancelled at the last minute due to software problems and at the rescheduled event last summer a car caught fire.
Some 164 Arturas, which feature a 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 engine made in Britain, were recalled in December by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
It warned of a fire hazard that arises from a high-pressure fuel pipe that can become loose.
The cause of the fire in Leeds, near junction 44 of the M1, is not known.
In his Sunday Times review, Grand Tour star Jeremy Clarkson said that he was told at the press launch there were a number of other problems, including some ‘thermal powertrain management issues’, which he said sounded like ‘fire’ to him.
He said that he had a good old poke around in the interior of his test car and he had to say it seemed to be as well made as a Victorian tunnel.
This, however, has become a common problem with electric cars, and fires are common with batteries and extremely difficult to extinguish.
Cyclists are told to wear helmets. Now people driving electric cars should be told to wear fireproof clothing!
These Lithium batteries are undoubtedly extremely dangerous. I wouldn’t drive one because they’re evidently not fit for purpose.
There is only one way for this green agenda to pan out and that’s to go back to horse and cart. They’re green and environmentally friendly and if you hate the thought of animals being used, just walk everywhere!
It’s time we had an independent investigation into just how dangerous these EVs really are.
Imagine what would happen if one of these exploded into flames in a tunnel. It’s time to eradicate these electric cars because they’re not helping our so-called climate at all.
This is really green, isn’t it? Complete your journey and then the car sets on fire and meanwhile, it can keep you warm, they think of everything now!
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