According to the NTSB's preliminary report, the battery reached temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. As a safety measure, firefighters also used an aircraft to drop fire retardant around the truck.
The crash occurred near Interstate 80 at Emigrant Gap, approximately 70 miles northeast of Sacramento. NTSB investigators examined the fire risks linked to the truck's large battery. They confirmed that the truck was not operating on Tesla's partially automated driving systems, which "could not be engaged."
The accident happened around 3:13 a.m. while a Tesla employee was driving the truck from Livermore, California, to a Tesla facility in Sparks, Nevada. The truck veered off the road and hit trees. The driver was uninjured.
After the crash, the Semi’s battery caught fire. Firefighters used water to cool the batteries, closing the freeway for 15 hours to ensure the batteries were safe for recovery. The truck was later moved to an open-air facility and monitored for 24 hours, with no reignition of the battery.
The NTSB is investigating the crash to identify its cause and plans to issue safety recommendations. The agency previously found in 2021 that high-voltage electric vehicle battery fires pose risks to first responders and that manufacturer guidelines were inadequate. The NTSB urged manufacturers to create specific response guides for battery fires and safe storage of damaged batteries.
Tesla began delivering its electric Semi trucks in December 2022. CEO Elon Musk stated that the Semi has a range of 500 miles per charge when hauling an 82,000-pound load.
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