Porsche EV caused fire on Felicity Ace ship: VW faces lawsuits

The financial loss due to the sinking of the ship, back in 2022, was estimated at around $155 million.

In 2022, a cargo ship "Felicity Ace" caught fire and sank while travelling between Germany and Rhode Island. The ship carrying thousands of supercars from brands from Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini, sank with no chance of recovery whatsoever.

Now, according to the latest report, the Volkswagen Group could be facing two lawsuits because as per the ship operator's claim, the fire was triggered by the battery of an electric Porsche. The first lawsuit was reportedly filed by 6 plaintiffs, including the ship operator, Mitsui OSK Lines and Allianz - the insurance company of the vessel. The lawsuit claims that Volkswagen did not inform everyone of the risks and precautionary measures necessary to transport their EV.

This case was filed last year, however, was paused due to mediation talks planned for a second lawsuit in Germany. Reports state that if a settlement isn't reached both cases will resume in court.

The financial loss due to the sinking of the ship, back in 2022, was estimated at around $155 million. While the entire crew abandoned the ship and were taken back to land by the Portuguese Navy, the cars ended up at the bottom of the ocean. However, over the past 2 years, the VW Group has managed to replace most of the vehicles which were on their way to their owners.

Apart from the supercars, including 15 units of the limited Aventador Ultimae; the ship also included several other used non-Volkswagen cars that also burned and sank along with the ship.

Source: AutoEvolution