A timely article in the Huffington Post by Leilani Münter demonstrates what and who the clean energy vehicle makers are up against. Tesla is the easiest target because of their well deserved reputation for advanced technology and pretty much spotless record.
There have been a few Tesla vehicle fires with no injuries that have gained much undeserved media attention. On the other hand there are hundreds of thousands of gasoline vehicle fires resulting hundreds of deaths and even more serious injuries that in comparison go nearly unnoticed in the national media.
Are the electric vehicle fires gaining national media attention because they are particularly newsworthy, or is there something else at work here? The author of the Huff Post article believes it marks the beginning of a new phase in an epic Oil vs. Electric battlefield.
If big oil and their allies had nothing to fear from the advent of clean energy consumer cars they would be more likely to continue to ignore and deny their existence. The more viable they become the more attention the electric car and other clean energy carmakers are bound to receive, not all of it positive.
Resource: Huff Post article