California firefighters wanted to spray 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish a roadside Tesla Semi hearth, the US Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) introduced in a preliminary report. Crews additionally used an plane to drop hearth retardent within the “immediate area as a precautionary measure,” based on the company.
The crash occurred at 3:13 AM on August 19 on the I80 freeway east of Sacramento. The tractor-trailer departed the roadway whereas navigating a curve, struck a site visitors delineator and finally hit a tree. The driving force was unhurt however taken to hospital as a precaution.
The Tesla Semi’s massive 900kWh battery caught hearth and reached a temperature of 1,000 levels F whereas spewing poisonous fumes. It continued to burn into the late afternoon as firefighters dowsed it with water to chill it down (Tesla despatched a technical skilled to evaluate high-voltage hazards and hearth security). It wasn’t till 7:20 PM (over 16 hours after the crash) that the freeway was reopened.
All of that caught the eye of the NTSB, which despatched a crew of investigators, primarily to look at the hearth dangers posed by massive lithium-ion battery packs. The company — which might solely make security suggestions and has no enforcement authority — stated that “all aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause.”
Given the lengthy highway shutdown time, dangerously sizzling hearth and poisonous fumes, the accident is more likely to provoke a number of dialogue out and in of presidency. The NTSB concluded in 2021 that battery fires pose a danger to emergency responders and that producers’ tips round such fires have been insufficient.