Xiaomi SU7 collided and caught fire, taking away 3 young lives. How should ordinary people deal with car collision and fire？

On April 1st, in response to the incident of Xiaomi SU7 being exposed for "exploding and causing casualties after colliding on the highway", the official stated that on March 29, 2025 at 22:44, a Xiaomi SU7 standard version encountered a serious traffic accident while driving on the Chiqi section of the German Shanghai Expressway, claiming the lives of three young people. We deeply regret this.

 

According to preliminary understanding, the vehicle was in NOA intelligent assisted driving mode before the accident, driving continuously at a speed of 116km/h. The road section where the incident occurred was closed off with roadblocks and diverted to the opposite lane due to construction repairs.

 

After detecting obstacles, the vehicle sends a reminder and begins to slow down. Subsequently, the driver took over the vehicle and entered a human driving state, continuously slowing down and steering the vehicle. The vehicle then collided with a cement pile on the median strip, and the system confirmed a speed of approximately 97km/h before the collision.

 

After the collision occurred, we immediately contacted the car owner to learn that the non owner was driving. At the same time, we urgently called for the occupants of the vehicle and reported to the police and called 120 emergency services

 

Afterwards, the police immediately arrived at the scene and fully intervened in the investigation of the accident. At the same time, we immediately established a special team and rushed to Tongling on the 30th. Under the guidance of the police, we actively cooperated with the investigation, evidence collection and other work.

 

On the evening of the 31st, we submitted the vehicle driving data and system operation information that we have mastered to the police in accordance with the law. We will continue to fully cooperate with the police's work and strictly follow the investigation results to ensure that the incident is handled openly and transparently

 

At the same time, our special team will also, with the permission and guidance of the police, contact the families of the victims of the accident, fully assist in the aftermath, and provide support and assistance

 

 

We will summarize the information we currently know and have submitted to the police as follows:

 

On March 29th at 22:27:17, NOA was activated with a speed of 116km/h

March 29th 22:28:17 Mild distraction alarm

 

On March 29th at 22:36:48, NOA issued a hand off warning prompt saying "Please hold the steering wheel"

 

On March 29th at 22:44:24, NOA issued a risk warning "Please be aware of obstacles ahead", issued a deceleration request, and began to decelerate

 

On March 29th at 22:44:25, NOA was taken over and put into human driving mode. The steering wheel turned 22.0625 degrees to the left, and the brake pedal was opened 31%

 

On March 29th at 22:44:26, the steering wheel turned 1.0625 degrees to the right, and the brake pedal was opened 38%

 

On March 29th at 22:44:26-28, a vehicle collided with a cement guardrail

March 29th 22:44:28 Car end Ecall triggered

 

On March 29th at 22:44:39, the Ecall at the vehicle end was connected, confirming the occurrence of the accident, and reporting to the police and calling 120 emergency services

 

On March 29th at 22:45:06, contacted the car owner and confirmed that the driver was not the owner

 

On March 29th at 22:47:15, 120 was successfully deployed

Arrived at the scene around 23:00 on March 29th at around 120

 

 

Although all the in car intelligent systems and programs have created a rapid chain reaction, they still couldn't prevent this accident from taking away three young lives.

 

How should we, as ordinary people, deal with unexpected situations such as spontaneous combustion or lock up of electric cars after collision, which are usually related to battery system, safety design, and mechanical/electrical failures after collision? 

 

The following are specific reasons and countermeasures:

 

1、 The cause of spontaneous combustion after tram collision

Damaged battery pack

-Lithium ion batteries may undergo physical deformation under severe impact, leading to internal short circuits, electrolyte leakage, or thermal runaway (rapid temperature rise in a short period of time).

-Thermal runaway can trigger a chain reaction, releasing a large amount of heat and flammable gases (such as hydrogen), ultimately leading to spontaneous combustion or even explosion.

 

High voltage circuit short circuit

-Collisions may cause damage or short circuits in high-voltage power lines, generate arcs or high temperatures, and ignite combustible materials inside the vehicle.

 

Electrolyte leakage

-Battery electrolytes usually contain flammable solvents (such as carbonates), which are highly flammable if exposed to high temperatures or sparks after leakage.

 

 

2、 The reason for the car door locking

 

Automatic triggering of security system

-Some vehicles will automatically lock their doors after a collision (anti secondary collision function), but if the circuit or sensor is damaged, it may not be able to unlock automatically.

Mechanical structural deformation

-The severe impact caused the deformation of the vehicle frame, and the doors were squeezed and stuck, making it impossible to open normally.

 

Electronic system malfunction

-Electronic controlled door locks may fail due to circuit damage, power outages, or system crashes, while mechanical emergency devices may be overlooked due to their concealed design or complex operation.

 

3、 Response measures

 

Prevention stage

 

-Regularly inspect the battery system: check the health status of the battery through official channels to avoid potential hazards caused by aging batteries.

 

-Familiarize oneself with vehicle emergency devices: understand in advance the mechanical unlocking position of the car door (usually located in the door storage compartment or under the seat), and the storage location of the safety hammer/window breaker.

 

-Equipped with emergency tools: always keep safety hammers and fire extinguishers in the vehicle (choose D-class fire extinguishers or water-based fire extinguishers suitable for lithium batteries).

 

 

Emergency handling after impact

 

-Stay calm and act quickly:

 

-Prioritize trying the electronic unlock button, and if it doesn't work, immediately look for a mechanical unlock handle (usually a brightly colored pull tab or switch).

 

-If the car door cannot be opened, quickly break through the window to escape (prioritize the edge of the side window and use a safety hammer to strike the four corners).

 

-If there is an emergency escape route in the trunk (designed for some models), you can try to escape through the trunk.

 

-Power outage handling:

-If the vehicle does not automatically power off, try manually disconnecting the high-voltage system (refer to the vehicle manual, which usually has an emergency power-off switch).

 

-Fire response:

-Small fire stage: Use a fire extinguisher to suppress the fire in the battery area, but maintain a safe distance.

-Fire out of control: Immediately evacuate to at least 50 meters away (battery burning may be accompanied by explosion and toxic gases) and wait for professional firefighting disposal.

 

 

4. Follow up processing

 

-Immediately report to the police and contact the fire department after escaping, stating that it was a tram fire (requiring a large amount of water to continuously cool down).

 

-Avoid touching the high-voltage components of the vehicle (orange line) and wait for professional personnel to handle it.

 

5、 Improvement direction of manufacturers and technology

 

1. Battery safety design: Adopting more stable solid-state batteries and strengthening battery pack protection structures (such as honeycomb anti-collision design).

 

2. Redundant design of car doors: Add mechanical unlocking signs and multi-channel escape devices (such as the mechanical door handles of Tesla Model Y).

 

3. System intelligence: Automatically unlock car doors, cut off high-voltage power, and pop up emergency warning lights after a collision

 

Summarize

Tram safety needs to be combined with user proactive prevention (familiarizing oneself with the vehicle, equipping tools) and manufacturer technology upgrades. When encountering an accident, it is crucial to make a calm judgment and quickly use mechanical escape devices.

 

It is recommended to understand the vehicle safety design before purchasing a car, participate in emergency drills organized by the manufacturer, and minimize risks to the greatest extent possible.