A Li One, the hybrid SUV made by Beijing-based Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), caught fire while driving in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, on Thursday afternoon, the company confirmed early Friday on its official Weibo account.
Two individuals inside the car have been hospitalized for observation, while the other passengers were unhurt, according to Li Auto, without revealing how bad the injuries are.
The EV maker attributed the fire to a 20-centimeter piece, which supposedly was an iron part. The object appeared in front of the vehicle running at a speed of 115 kilometers per hour, rolled up, broke through the fuel pipe, caused fuel to splash and ignite due to the high temperature of the exhaust pipe.
Before this accident, another Li One caught fire on May 8 in Changsha, Hunan province, when a car paint protective pad, that was stuck to the exhaust pipe due to an employee’s negligence, ignited.
Li Auto, which was the second China-based EV maker to go public in the US, raised USD 1.1 billion in its initial public offering last month.
This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China.