A Tesla Semi battery fire on a US highway has paralyzed traffic for hours.
IN BRIEF
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On August 19, a Tesla Semi caught fire on California Highway Patrol I-80, forcing authorities to close the road for several hours.
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The truck hit a tree for no apparent reason, causing a fire that was difficult to control due to the toxicity of the battery fumes.
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The incident comes on top of previous Tesla vehicle fires, raising concerns about the safety of large-capacity batteries.
Used to being talked about, the American brand Tesla would have done well without this new one ‘bad buzz’ regarding its vehicles. While a Tesla Semi was heading west of the United States, on the California Highway Patrol I-80, he left the road. For no apparent reason, he hit a tree and caught fire on the side of the road. The accident forced local authorities to close the road for hours on Monday, August 19, given the risks involved. Beyond the debris, the toxicity of products emanating from flames complicated operations on the ground.
Tesla Semi catches fire and causes panic
After several hours spent putting out the flames, The Tesla Semi was still leaking smoke in the Sierra. This new accident comes on top of those involving cars from Elon Musk’s brand that caught fire in South Korea recently.
Here is the fire in pictures, in the video below:
Smoke from batteries is worrying
It was in the state of California, in Sacramento, at 3:16 in the morning, that this accident took place. The firefighters had to fight the flames for several hours before the situation returned to normal. Even if the vehicle in question is not really visible on the images due to the impossibility on the part of the journalists to film closely, everything seems to indicate thatThis is indeed a Tesla Semi.
Initially, California Highway Patrol officers said: “There is no estimated time for the highway to reopen.”
The intense heat and dangerous fumes from batteries of the vehicle complicated the intervention. Moreover, the images provided come from a helicopter because the journalists were not able to film the truck up close.
Fortunately, the driver was not injured and no other vehicles were involved in the accident. Fortunately, the truck was not carrying a trailer at the time, which limited the damage. The column of smoke coming from the battery was visible for milesAt 9 a.m. the fire was still active.
It should be noted that the Tesla Semi has a battery capable of providing long-distance truck service. We are talking about a vehicle equipped with 850 and 900 kWh batteries. When we know that a car has a battery of 75 kWh, we can quickly guess the damage that a fire can cause to a truck of this type…