I think the justification for getting out/away from the car was that he didn't know what was wrong or what it could develop into. In an ICE car, "disabled" gene

I think the justification for getting out/away from the car was that he didn't know what was wrong or what it could develop into. In an ICE car, "disabled" generally means just that. If you can't smell gas or you can tell what happened (stall, flood, etc) the car's going to be safe just sitting there. In a Tesla, once something's gone wrong, who knows what's going to happen? You're probably still safe, but with all the FUD out there I can't blame him for worrying about a leaking or shorted battery blowing up in his and his kid's faces.