According to media reports, an Ideal ONE caught fire after rear-ending a Weilai EC6 on the highway. Fortunately, both drivers and passengers were unharmed. Judging from the relevant pictures exposed, both cars suffered varying degrees of damage after the collision. The rear of the Weilai EC6 was seriously damaged and deformed, the rear trunk glass was cracked, one side of the bumper was dented, and the taillights were cracked, while the Ideal ONE's front burnt out A fire broke out, the front engine room was severely burned, and it was likely to spread to the entire vehicle body.
Some netizens believe that judging from the degree of damage to the rear of the Weilai EC6, the impact of the two vehicles was not small, but the fire of the Ideal ONE is indeed a bit unexpected. As of press time, neither Ideal nor NIO responded to the incident.
It is understood that NIO EC6 is positioned as a pure electric medium-sized SUV. It is NIO's third mass-produced model, with a price range of 358,000-526,000 yuan; Lideal ONE is the first and only mass-produced model under Li Auto. The car is positioned as a medium to large SUV and is priced at 338,000 yuan.
From the current point of view, although the cause of the accident and fire is unknown, the safety of the two models has still received great attention. Previously, both NIO EC6 and Ideal ONE have participated in the C-IASI crash test of China Insurance Research Institute.
First, let’s take a look at the Ideal ONE. The model involved in the collision was the Ideal ONE 2020 Extended Range 6-seater version. Looking at the overall results, except for the crashworthiness and maintenance economy index, which received an M (average) rating, other items All received G (excellent) ratings. In the high-profile frontal 25% offset collision project, the A-pillar of the Ideal ONE was slightly deformed. The airbags and side curtain airbags were working normally, but the restraint system performed poorly and the side head airbags had limited coverage after deployment. The seat belt had limited restraint on the dummy, resulting in excessive forward leaning. In the end, the restraint system and the dummy's movement received an A (good) rating. In addition, in a side impact, the distance between the B-pillar and the center line of the driver's seat after the impact was 25.5 cm, and the rating was G (Excellent).
The NIO EC6 also performed relatively well. The model involved in the collision was the NIO EC6 2020 430KM Sports Edition. Except for the crashworthiness and maintenance economy index of this model, which received an A (good) rating, the other models were all G (excellent). In terms of vehicle occupant safety index, frontal 25% offset collision and side collision received G (excellent) ratings, and the roof strength and seat/head restraint evaluation results were both excellent (G). In a frontal 25% offset collision, the A-pillar of the NIO EC6 did not bend significantly, and the rim was completely shattered after the impact, which ensures that it will not intrude too much into the cockpit, thereby protecting the safety of the front-seat passengers. .
Judging from the collision results of the two models, the performance is still excellent, but the reason for the fire after the accident is puzzling. To a certain extent, this reflects the current hidden worries of electric vehicles. In fact, it is relatively common for electric vehicles to catch fire after accidents. The reason is that after an electric vehicle encounters a strong impact, the battery compartment may be squeezed, which may cause serious accidents. Thermal runaway can cause fire or even explosion within seconds. In C-IASI or C-NCAP collisions, many electric vehicles did not catch fire, but it was related to the standards of the collision. In real-life collisions, various factors include the strength of the impact, the direction of the impact, etc. These are all uncontrollable, and these are the reasons why electric vehicles may catch fire. Of course, it is also related to the manufacturing process of the car company. After all, if the three-electric protection is complete enough, fire accidents can still be avoided to the greatest extent.
Currently, NIO and Ideal are not low in popularity in the market. Data shows that the sales volume of Ideal ONE in October reached 7,649 units, a year-on-year increase of 107.2%, making it the highest-selling model among the new car-making forces. The sales volume of NIO EC6 in October was only 921 units, a sharp decline due to the renovation of the production line of JAC NIO's factory. As for the cause of this accident, the official has not yet given a response, and we will continue to pay attention.
