Tesla Supercharger Erupts In Flames At New Jersey Wawa

Nothing puts the “convenience” in “convenience store” like your car possibly going up in flames while you run inside for milk and eggs, but that’s exactly what happened Sunday when a Tesla Supercharger at a Parsippany, New Jersey Wawa caught fire on Sunday afternoon, according to CNBC. 

A spokesperson for Wawa stated: “Tesla had an issue with their cabinet and the power has been shut off while they are investigating. Our store was unaffected as it is on a completely separate power line.” Great – but how’s the car?

A witness who asked to remain unidentified because they were not authorized to speak with press (i.e. very likely a Wawa employee) told CNBC that flames were noticed by a neighbor across the street from the store, who reported it to the fire department and store employees. 

Wawa has announced plans to increase the number of its stores that feature Supercharger stations from 16 to more than 30 by the end of next year. At the store where the fire occurred, Tesla said it had installed eight 120 Kw Superchargers, which were available around the clock to drivers.

Earlier this year, Tesla added a “V3 Supercharger” to its arsenal of charging stations that is supposed to enable drivers to add up to 75 miles of charge in just five minutes – with the small side effect of possible setting your car, and everything around it and in it, on fire. 

Tesla has said it is still under pressure to expand its Supercharger network to keep pace with the increasing number of its cars on the road (or sitting in vacant lots). 

“If we fail to do so in a timely manner, our customers could become dissatisfied, which could adversely affect sales of our vehicles,” the company said in its most recent regulatory filing.

We wonder if cars bursting into flames could adversely affect sales of their vehicles, as well? Just a thought.