A Tesla burst into flames during a crash test. The organizer admitted it was staged

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/02/ [login to see] /a-tesla-burst-into-flames-during-a-crash-test-the-organizer-admitted-it-was-stag
A global insurance company is taking heat for staging a battery fire during a crash test of a Tesla sedan.

The insurance firm Axa was claiming to demonstrate how electric cars can quickly erupt into a dangerous blaze after an accident.

But it wasn't the Tesla's battery that caught fire. In fact, Axa had removed the vehicle's battery ahead of the late August demo, the Paris-based company later said.

A video of the crash test posted by the Swiss Auto Trade Association shows a yellow Tesla hurtle toward an obstacle and then flip over, landing upside down on its roof. Moments later, a pop erupts from the engine and the front half of the car bursts into flames as the crowd in attendance claps.

On Thursday, Axa Switzerland said in a statement that it regretted the crash test gave a "false impression" and created "confusion."

The company said it had to take steps to protect spectators during the demonstration of a battery-powered car going up in flames. The car's battery was removed and the fire was put out "under controlled conditions," the firm said.