Tesla Semi Electric Truck Catches Fire on Highway, NTSB Launches Investigation

Tesla Semi Electric Truck Catches Fire on Highway, NTSB Launches InvestigationA Tesla Semi electric truck caught fire after a serious crash on a California highway, prompting an investigation by the federal safety agency. On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would send an investigation team from its Office of Highway Safety to focus on the potential fire risk posed by the Semis lithium-ion batteries

Tesla Semi Electric Truck Catches Fire on Highway, NTSB Launches Investigation

A Tesla Semi electric truck caught fire after a serious crash on a California highway, prompting an investigation by the federal safety agency. On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would send an investigation team from its Office of Highway Safety to focus on the potential fire risk posed by the Semis lithium-ion batteries. The agency said in a statement that the team will work with the California Highway Patrol to examine the accident wreckage and gather details about the events leading up to the collision and the subsequent fire response.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the incident occurred around 3:15 a.m. Monday when the Tesla Semi, traveling eastbound on Interstate 80, veered off the road and struck trees near Emigrant Gap, roughly 110 miles northeast of Sacramento. Highway Patrol said the trucks battery caught fire and emitted toxic fumes, reaching temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (540 degrees Celsius), forcing firefighters to wait for the battery to burn itself out. The Tesla driver escaped the accident and was taken to a hospital, while the stretch of highway was temporarily closed. Authorities said firefighters attempted to cool the battery to facilitate cleanup, but it did not extinguish until late afternoon, and the highway only reopened at 7:20 p.m.

Tesla has yet to comment on the crash and fire.

The NTSB determined in a 2021 investigation that high-voltage electric vehicle battery fires pose a risk to first responders and that manufacturer guidance on how to handle such fires is insufficient. The agency does not have enforcement powers but can make recommendations. It has called for manufacturers to develop vehicle-specific battery fire response guidelines to prevent chemical runaway and reignition. The guidelines should also include information on how to safely store vehicles with damaged lithium-ion batteries.

Tesla began deliveries of the electric semi-trailer truck in December 2022, over three years later than initially promised by company CEO Elon Musk. Musk had said the Semi would have a range of about 500 miles on a single charge when carrying a payload of around 80,000 pounds.