GM Offers Chevy Bolt EV Loaner To Mary McCormack Following Tesla Fire

On June 15, Mary McCormack, who stars in “The West Wing,” posted to Twitter showing her husband’s Tesla Model S going up in flames. Soon after the video hit the internet, General Motors stepped in with an offer: a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV loaner vehicle.

According to McCormack’s tweets, the Model S caught fire for no reason after sitting in traffic. A bystander flagged down her husband and made him aware that the car was on fire. No one was hurt in the incident.

Ray Wert, GM’s lead storyteller, reached out to McCormack following the incident and offered a “more dependable” electric car to drive in the interim. Wert insisted the move wasn’t a burn, but it sure sounds like it.

If anything, it’s pretty excellent publicity for GM, but it’s unclear if McCormack and her husband accepted the loaner Bolt EV.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

Sean Szymkowski

Former GM Authority staff writer.

View Comments

  • I saw the videos and it shows how the cells are jetting out flames under the car from the battery. This is another warning to Tesla to improve the construction of the battery packs, which hold hundreds of simple cells glued together in a plastic case. This increases energy density and lowers cost, but it still causes fire risks. The Chevy Bolt EV battery has fewer but larger cells, bolted (not glued) and separated by metal cooling fins. This reduces fire risks, and improves reliability, but cost more. I prefer the Bolt EVs' construction methods.

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