A serious fire burned down twelve Tesla vehicles that operated within the Tesla service center near Toulouse, France, during the early hours of Monday, March 3, 2025. Twelve Tesla cars were burned down during the fire, where eight vehicles burned to complete destruction and four others received major damage. The economic damages from this incident, according to reports, surpass €700,000.
Incident Details
The service center is located at 4 rue Sadi Carnot, 31830 Plaisance-du-Touch, France. This center also performs the dual role of a store and a center that offers services to Tesla consumers in this area. According to Tesla’s official website, the center opens on Mondays through Saturdays from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm and closes on Sundays.
Firefighters were alerted about the burning fire around 4 a.m. on Monday. Firefighters arrived at the scene to control the fire, which only damaged the vehicles while preventing it from spreading toward the main service center structure. All personnel remained safe during the response because the facility was unoccupied at that time.
Investigation and Suspected Arson
Law enforcement investigation results show that arson might be the cause of the fire. Some evidence in support of this includes indications of a break in the fence of the facility. The decision to investigate arson as the cause gained support from numerous threats that had targeted Tesla premises in the weeks before the event.
Company facilities are under attack alongside their CEO, Elon Musk, due to the escalating global protest against Tesla. French extremist groups advocate for facility arson against Tesla locations since they regard the electric car manufacturer as a symbol of capitalism. The online manifestos contain precise instructions about conducting these attacks because they are believed to be inexpensive to execute and practical to implement.
Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, has been the subject of many enthusiasts as well as critics. His recent political developments of siding with right-wing politicians have angered a great number of his culturally sensitive and environmentalist consumers at Tesla. This has provoked social activism and a refusal of consumers, especially the European ones, to purchase Tesla products. So, in January 2025, Tesla’s European sales decreased by 45% compared to the same month in the previous year, a slump severely affecting TSLA’s historical stock price.
Safety Concerns Surrounding Electric Vehicles
Thus, this specific incident might have been a deliberate act of vandalism, and such occurrences raise quite pertinent safety issues relating to the use of electric vehicles, or EVs, that are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Recent unfortunate events have given a signal that these batteries pose a great fire risk. Still, it is significant to note that there have been situations where Tesla cars have burst into flames after an accident.
For instance, in October 2024, a Tesla Model Y was involved in an accident in Toronto that caused it to crash into a safety barrier and subsequently burn; this act resulted in four deaths. The fact that the fire was so severe that it hindered the rescue operations several hours after it started is evident from the video that testifies to the potential difficulties of the first responders when it comes to EV fires.
Thermal runaway is another issue associated with lithium-ion batteries. This stems from a condition whereby a battery cell experiences a thermal runaway, which is disastrous since electricity is involved, and the fire is usually difficult to put out. These causes include mechanical, electric, or thermal degradation, physical damage or thermal shock, and exposure to harsh environmental conditions.
Conclusion
Analyzing the case of twelve Teslas burned in Plaisance-du-Touch, it is possible to speak about many-sided problems in the EV manufacturers’ activity. Other than the simple financial and operating losses in the current model, the consequences or incidents often involve societal or security issues of electric mobility. That way, as investigations go on, stakeholders have to consider the security risks accrued by EV infrastructure as well as the inherent safety risks cropped by advanced battery technologies.
