The clean energy electric truck from Tesla, the Semi, hit the headlines once more as one was involved in a nasty crash along California's I-80, which led to the highway's closure for almost an entire day on Monday Monday. After the crash, the electric truck caught fire and burned throughout the day, which led to the decision to close down the road for around 16 hours after the accident occurred.
Tesla Semi Crash: Electric Truck Burned Along California's I-80
KCRA 3 News first reported the incident on Monday. According to the report, a Tesla Semi crashed into a tree along California's Interstate 80 (I-80) near Nevada at around 3 a.m. local time. It was also revealed that after the crash, the Tesla Semi caught fire, which led to long hours of efforts to extinguish the flames by responding firefighters.
It was reported that the firefighters on the scene used up thousands of gallons of water to extinguish the flames and cool the Semi's batteries down to around 100° fahrenheit. This is said to be the batteries' manageable temperature.
It has been noted that this Semi does not have a trailer and its power cells were the only ones burning.
I-80 Closed For Almost 16 Hours Because of Semi Crash
While this accident started at around 3 a.m. on the I-80, it was only around at around 4 p.m. that firefighters were able to control the flames. By then, the Semi returned to a manageable temperature, which allowed the authorities to safely move the vehicle. However, I-80 was not reopened to the public until 7 p.m., 16 hours after the accident took place.
After the Semi's battery cells burnt out, the crew transported the destroyed electric truck to Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada.
Tesla's Electric Vehicles and Their Flammability
Electric vehicles are highly flammable if it is caught in a crash or an accident, especially when the incident causes damage to their battery pack, which is usually located underneath the vehicle. Tesla is known for using lithium-ion (Li-On) materials for its batteries, and it contains flammable electrolytes that can lead to fire incidents almost immediately after a crash.
Many crash incidents involving electric vehicles, including Tesla cars, have been notorious for involving fires after the accidents take place, and they typically get out of hand fast. However, it should be noted that crashes are not the only causes of fire incidents involving Tesla's electric vehicles (EVs) as there was a case of "spontaneous" combustion on a brand-new Tesla Model S Plaid. This incident took place in 2021 and claimed the life of an executive.
Regular ICE cars are also known for catching fire, but not a lot are caused by its batteries, which are mostly small compared to what electric vehicles have in them, particularly as these are the main source of power.
For a massive and heavy vehicle like the Tesla Semi, crashes may lead to a fire incident, and the recent one that took place along California's I-80 is an example of it.
Related Article: Tesla Model S Burst Into Flames Due to Battery's 'Spontaneous' Combustion
