Mercedes-AMG One Catches Fire Again, Raises Safety Questions
Priced at close to $3 million and limited to a planned 275 units, the Mercedes-AMG One hybrid hypercar is as exclusive as it gets, which is why the mere thought of one being damaged or lost is traumatic. Unfortunately, a new video has surfaced online of an AMG One burning to the ground. The clip was shared by user Chrimbu on social media, but no details were provided as to exactly where or how the blaze started. The fire does not appear to have been caused by an accident, though, which suggests the car unexpectedly caught alight.
Complex Hybrid Powertrain To Blame?
The extensively electrified powertrain of the AMG One isn't going to reduce the intensity of a fire. Besides the 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine, the One also features four electric motors and an 8.4-kWh lithium-ion battery. When exposed to extreme temperatures, lithium-ion batteries can result in thermal runaway. According to UL Research Institutes, this process causes the lithium-ion cell to enter a self-heating state that is difficult to stop. Furthermore, it makes it more challenging to extinguish such a fire.
There's no way of knowing if the AMG One's powertrain caused the fire we see here, but it's likely that the battery and associated components further fueled the flames.
When it's not lighting up the sky, the AMG One's performance is pretty hot, with the hypercar capable of a 0-62 mph sprint time of 2.9 seconds. It will reach around 218 mph, too.
Not The First AMG One To Catch Alight
Almost exactly two years ago, The Sun reported on another AMG One that was burned to a crisp. Allegedly, this one was being towed in Staffordshire, England, when it burst into flames. The fact that the car was switched off and being towed at the time makes this an especially bizarre event.
'We are aware of this incident involving a car that was being transported in a closed trailer as part of its assembly process,' said a spokesperson for Mercedes at the time.
As one of AMG's most ambitious projects ever, Mercedes faced a number of hurdles in developing the hypercar. Ola Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz CEO, once even joked that the board must surely have been 'drunk' when it was decided to forge ahead with the car. Adapting the F1 powertrain for use on the street was one of the biggest challenges, and considering how long it took to get everything right, it's all the more disheartening that at least two Ones have been destroyed.
Source: Mercedes-AMG
Is The AMG One A Fire Risk?
While hybrid and EV naysayers may be quick to point at the elevated fire risks of electrified cars, it's impossible to know for sure if this is an inherent flaw in the AMG hypercar. Certainly, two burned cars will raise eyebrows – especially since this is one of the most expensive cars in the world – but these could be entirely isolated incidents that have nothing to do with each other.
Presently, no known recalls have been issued for the AMG One, nor have any known injuries occurred as a result of these fires. All we're left with, then, are two enormous insurance claims and a hypercar world deprived of two spectacular track toys.
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