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 “instant space as a precautionary measure,” in accordance with 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 visitors delineator and ultimately hit a tree. The motive 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 group of investigators, primarily to look at the fireplace dangers posed by massive lithium-ion battery packs. The company — which might solely make security suggestions and has no enforcement authority — mentioned that “all features of the crash stay beneath investigation whereas the NTSB determines the possible trigger.”

Given the lengthy street shutdown time, dangerously scorching hearth and poisonous fumes, the accident is more likely to provoke a whole lot of dialogue out and in of presidency. The NTSB concluded in 2021 that battery fires pose a danger to emergency responders and that producers’ pointers round such fires had been insufficient.