Fact Check

By Reuters Fact Check

3 Min Read

A video of gas tanks on a truck exploding following a collision has been shared online to falsely claim that it is footage of a crash involving two electric vehicles (EVs).

“Two Electric Vehicles collide on 28 June 2023 and the resultant fire and battery explosions are more powerful than a gasoline powered car would probably ever experience,” reads a Facebook post sharing the video (here).

“Reportedly what happens when two electric vehicles collide,” said another post on Facebook (here). (3:19)

The viral clip can be seen at the 3:19 minute timestamp of a YouTube video published in 2017 (here) that identified the location of the accident as Russia. The video shows that the explosion was preceded by a collision between a truck loaded with gas cylinders and another vehicle.

While the original source of this video is unclear, according to news reports sharing clips of the same explosion from different angles, the accident took place in 2013 on a highway in Moscow (here), (here) and (here).

The location of the accident in Moscow can be seen (bit.ly/47cR556) on Google Street View. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported in 2013 that 119 gas cylinders exploded because of a truck accident at that location (ria.ru/20130713/949527894.html).

Miscaptioned. Video shows a collision involving a truck loaded with gas cylinders, not electric vehicles.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work (here).

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.