A 53-year-old man claims to have been "kidnapped" by his own Chinese-made electric vehicle (EV) after a malfunction left him unable to control the car.
Brian Morrison of Glasgow, Scotland claimed his 30,000 pound ($36,700) Chinese-made MG ZS suddenly accelerated to 30 miles per hour when he was heading back home from work on the night of Oct. 1. He found himself unable to use the brakes or regain control of the vehicle. So, he was forced to navigate through traffic, red lights and roundabouts without slowing down.
"I realized something was wrong when I was coming up to a roundabout and went to slow down but it failed to do so. Then I heard a loud grinding noise that sounded like brake pads. Because it was such a new car I knew it couldn't be a problem with them," Morrison said. (Related: Self-driving cars are causing traffic incidents all over San Francisco.)
With no other options, Morrison dialed emergency services and police were dispatched to assist him. As the EV continued to speed along, officers positioned their vehicles in front and behind Morrison's car. The situation became increasingly desperate and Morrison feared for his life as he helplessly drove down the road.
Describing the ordeal, Morrison said: "It might not sound like it is very fast, but when you have no control over the speed and you're completely stuck inside, it's terrifying." He even called his wife in a panic to alert her and ask for help in warning other drivers.
Eventually, the police had to resort to having Morrison deliberately drive into the back of their van to bring the vehicle to a stop. The car's dashboard displayed multiple faults before showing a message advising Morrison to "drive safely, stop driving immediately."
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"We have been urgently trying to make contact with Mr. Morrison so that his vehicle can be fully inspected by our engineering team. We take this matter very seriously, and now that contact has been made, we will be making every effort to resolve matters quickly and comprehensively for him," stated MG Motor UK, the manufacturer of the EV.
Series of EV incidents spark safety concerns
The incident involving Morrison and his MG ZS EV is just one of many safety concerns popping up as the use of electric vehicles continues to spread.
In recent months, reports have emerged of EVs catching fire due to issues with lithium-ion batteries, including one incident in Australia where a detached battery from MG ZS EV was identified as the cause of a fire.
In September, a family's electric car in Merseyside, England reportedly exploded while parked in their driveway, setting their home on fire. Although the official cause is yet to be confirmed, reports suggest it may be due to the malfunctioning electric car battery.
Moreover, the surge in EV adoption has led to a shortage of charging infrastructure, with reports of "charge rage" incidents at motorway service stations. EV drivers become increasingly frustrated due to long wait times for available public charging stations.
Charging time for EVs varies widely due to battery size, efficiency, onboard charging speed and power source. Some EVs may take minutes to charge, while others require several hours or even days.
As per range, EVs can be suitable for local commuting and short trips, but their small range can be an issue for long-distance travel. So, charging to 100 percent capacity can also lead to battery degradation over time.
Furthermore, the number of EV charging stations may not be sufficient to support the anticipated growth in EV adoption by 2030. In short, the country needs to significantly increase the installation rate of charging stations. The cost of EV adoption is still another issue.
As the U.K. government pushes for a greener future with an accelerated transition to EVs, these incidents prove that the current administration and the EV manufacturers still have a long way to go in addressing the ongoing issues.
Learn more about self-driving cars at RoboCars.news.
Watch this clip of electric vehicle entrepreneur Jason Wilde discussing how he found it challenging to go on a long road trip through Montana due to the lack of charging stations in the state.
This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.
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