Lithuim batteries can definitely explode or catch fire. However, for the Tesla and most electric cars the manufacturers are aware of this. The cars have various safeguards to prevent deaths in these cases. For example the place where the battery is located is made with fireproof materials which will resist the burn temperature of lithium. Therefore any explosion or fire will be contained. It will wreck the car, but that is almost unavoidable. Also, since the batteries are highquality, fires are rare. We aren't talking about discount batteries bought from a factory with no standards.

Unlike hydrogen which turns to water after one cycle in a fuel cell, lithium-ion batteries can be charged between 300 to 500 times with no loss of life. They can be charged up to 1500 times if you don't mind losing about half your potential. Although lithium is harder to obtain than hydrogen, the fact that you get several hundred charges before you have to recycle it makes up for this.
There is definitely room for improvement with batteries, however, given current technology a battery powered car is more practical than a hydrogen powered car. I can't really speak for the future, but I imagine for most applications such as personal vehicle for urban residents, it will remain that way.