In Jinan High-tech Zone, Shandong Province, a fire broke out in an underground garage, where a Xiaopeng car suddenly caught fire, burning itself to a skeletal frame. Nine other vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and other luxury cars, were completely destroyed beside it. Additionally, eight other vehicles (motorcycles) suffered severe damage in the fire.
On January 25th, the public relations officer of Xiaopeng Motors responded to the incident of the Xiaopeng car catching fire and burning dozens of vehicles in the underground garage. They stated that their quality control, technical team, and customer service immediately collected data, conducted necessary analyses, and verified the information.
According to vehicle data, the Xiaopeng car at the scene of the accident did not show any abnormalities in its original factory-installed power battery and vehicle electronics.
During a maintenance visit to the dealership in March 2024, there were signs of aftermarket modifications on the vehicle.
As reported by Southern Metropolis Daily, on January 7th, a fire broke out in an underground garage in a residential area in Jinan, Shandong. According to a blogger who disclosed the fire accident determination report, the ignition point was a “small-size sedan of Xiaopeng brand,” with the cause being a “short circuit fault in the front right area of the engine compartment.” This incident resulted in the complete destruction of nine vehicles (motorcycles) and severe damage to eight other vehicles (motorcycles), with varying degrees of smoke damage to other vehicles, public facilities, and equipment, covering an area of about 100 square meters.
According to Qilu Evening News and Qilu One Point report, on the morning of January 7th, a fire erupted in an underground garage in Jinan High-tech Zone due to a self-ignition of an electric vehicle, as declared by the property management.
On the morning of January 8th, a day after the incident, the affected residential area still showed signs of the fire. The fire’s origin was on the underground second floor of the garage, where the floors, walls, and various pipes were charred. Many vehicles remained in the garage, stained black by the smoke. Dozens of cleaners were seen clearing the area, with washing stations set up at the garage entrance to clean the smoke-damaged vehicles for the residents.
Photos provided by the residents after the incident revealed the extent of damage around the ignition point, with several luxury vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi severely affected. The suspected self-ignited vehicle was reduced to a metal frame, affecting nearby vehicles, while the garage’s pipes on the ceiling were distorted by the fire.
“It’s said that nine vehicles were burned, at least dozens were smoke-damaged. I wonder how these losses will be compensated in the end.”
Lawyer Wang Ying from Qilu Law Firm stated that if a car owner’s vehicle self-ignites and causes damage to a third party, the owner can claim compensation from the insurance company within the scope of compulsory insurance. Additionally, whether the vehicle is in motion or parked, if it self-ignites and damages other vehicles, it falls within the scope of the insurance company’s commercial third-party liability coverage. The owner can demand compensation within this scope. If the commercial third-party insurance coverage is insufficient to cover the total loss, the owner will have to bear the remaining costs.
Legal experts mentioned that if the fire is caused by unauthorized installation or modification by the car owner, the owner may bear primary responsibility as modifying the vehicle’s electrical system without proper compliance may lead to fire hazards.
The expert also pointed out that if the repair shop fails to follow safety standards during the modification process, leading to safety hazards in the vehicle’s electrical system, the repair shop may bear primary responsibility.