Feds to Probe Tesla Semitruck Battery Fire in California

Tesla CEO Elon Musk presents a prototype of the Tesla Semi truck at an event in Hawthorne, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2017. Veronique Dupont/AFP via Getty Images

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the California Highway Patrol have opened a safety investigation into the Aug. 19 crash and fire of a Tesla semitruck that closed Interstate 80 for several hours in Placer County, about 19 miles northeast of Nevada City, California, on Aug. 19.

Investigators from the Office of Highway Safety will travel to the crash site to examine the wreckage and gather details about the events leading up to the collision and the subsequent fire response, the agency said.

“Preliminary information indicates the truck departed from the roadway, collided with trees, and caught fire,” the NTSB said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

The truck’s batteries continued to burn for four hours, according to the federal agency.

The NTSB said it’s investigating the incident and fire because of the interest in the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries.

The announcement comes days after California legislators asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to back off from a state plan to ban combustion engines in favor of electric vehicles. The state’s so-called Advanced Clean Fleets mandate requires that medium and heavy vehicles be zero-emission by 2045 and that semitrucks carrying cargo from the state’s ports be zero-emission by 2035.

The incident under investigation is the second involving lithium-ion batteries that closed a major artery in the state this summer, trapping motorists for hours and hindering interstate commerce.

The accident and fire occurred Monday at about 3:15 a.m., when a Tesla semitruck heading eastbound toward Truckee and Lake Tahoe veered off the road and crashed into a tree before bursting into flames.

The lithium-ion EV battery pack reached 1,000 degrees, producing toxic gasses and posing a public safety risk, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities shut down both lanes of I-80, reopening it fully at about 7 p.m. later that day. The Tesla driver walked away from the crash and was taken to a hospital.

The Tesla semi has an estimated range of 500 miles for a single charge and can save owners up to $200,000 over three years in fuel costs, according to the Tesla website.

Another fire on July 26 closed both lanes of Interstate 15 near the town of Baker in San Bernardino County for two days. Drivers heading to or from Las Vegas were diverted and some were trapped for hours after a truck carrying lithium-ion batteries caught fire.

Special crews responded to trapped motorists by delivering medical aid, fuel, and other needed supplies.

Tesla and the California Highway Patrol did not respond to requests for comment before publication time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.