A brand-new Tesla was hit by a fast, hot object while travelling on Autopilot along the Augusta Highway, roughly 40 kilometres north of Port Germein. The strike, reported by the South Australian Museum and covered by NDTV on 3 November, blew glass fragments into the cabin but the vehicle continued without interruption. The windscreen showed a cratered indentation and clear signs of heat damage.
Unusual Impact Now Under Investigation
Mineralogists at the South Australian Museum say the inner surface of the windscreen appears to have melted and re-fused, with discolouration across the plastic laminate layer. They describe these features as indicators that something extremely hot and travelling at high speed hit the car. Museum expert Dr Kieran Meaney noted that meteorite impacts on moving vehicles are “immeasurably rare,” but the thermal pattern and impact behaviour justify a full field investigation.
The owners, Andrew and Jo Melville-Smith, had collected the car the previous day. They reported a loud explosion followed by smoke and a burning smell inside the cabin.
“Whatever it was, it was travelling really fast and was really hot,” said Andrew.
Footage from the vehicle’s cameras did not capture the object, likely because it crossed the frame too quickly to resolve.
Local police ruled out gunfire, and there were no storms or visible disturbances in the area at the time. The stretch of highway sits within the District Council of Mount Remarkable, an area with no industrial launch activity that might explain high-speed debris.
Investigators are considering alternatives such as road-thrown material, but the heat effects on the laminated glass lean more towards a meteoroid. The museum plans to examine the vehicle further and may conduct searches for surviving fragments.
If confirmed, the case could mark the first documented instance of a meteorite striking a moving vehicle rather than one parked or stationary. Small meteoroids pass through Earth’s atmosphere every day with little notice, rarely intersecting with people, property, and even less commonly, operating vehicles.
