The fiery crash of a Tesla sedan that killed two people in Texas earlier this month involved a front-end collision that caused extensive damage and may have ignited the car’s powerful battery cells, according to a local fire authority’s report.
The report provides more clues to the April 17 incident involving a gray 2019 Model S that hit a tree and caught fire in The Woodlands, a wealthy neighborhood in greater Houston. Tesla is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, two U.S. agencies that are probing the bizarre crash.
The vehicle sustained “a significant front-end collision” that may have damaged the battery, power distribution system, or battery-temperature control systems, causing the lithium-ion cells in the Tesla to ignite, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire was caused by the collision, investigator Chris Johnson concluded, ruling out factors not spec…