California firefighters found themselves using about 50,000 gallons of water to put out a blazing battery in a Tesla Semi after an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board disclosed on Thursday.
Not only did they use a massive amount of water, but they also had aircraft drop fire retardant over the "immediate area" surrounding the electric truck, as a safety protocol, detailed the agency in an initial report. Previously, firefighters had reported that the battery's temperature reached an alarming 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit during the conflagration.
Following the August 19 incident on Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap, roughly 70 miles northeast of Sacramento, NTSB investigators hurried to the scene. One of their focal points for investigation is the potential fire hazards associated with the truck's hefty lithium-ion battery pack.
The inquiry unearthed that at the crash time, the truck was not running on any of Tesla's semi-autonomous driving features; indeed, these systems were not in operation and "could not be engaged," informed the agency. The accident unfolded around 3.13 am as the tractor-trailer was being operated by a Tesla staff member journeying from Livermore, California, to Sparks, Nevada.
The vehicle ventured off the roadway amid navigating a curve and collided with a tree, the report states. Subsequently, the vehicle descended a slope and ended up against multiple trees.
Luckily, the driver emerged uninjured from the ordeal. Following the crash, the Semi's lithium-ion battery caught fire. Firefighters used water to extinguish the flames and cool down the batteries.
The freeway was shut down for approximately 15 hours as firefighters ensured the batteries were sufficiently cooled to safely recover the truck. The truck was then transported to an open-air facility where it was monitored for a full 24 hours. The battery did not reignite during this period.
The NTSB has stated that all aspects of the crash are currently under investigation as they work to determine the cause. The agency plans to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Tesla, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, has yet to comment on the incident. A message was left seeking their response on Thursday.
In a previous investigation concluded in 2021, the NTSB found that fires involving high-voltage electric vehicle batteries pose significant risks to first responders. They also determined that the guidelines provided by manufacturers on how to handle such situations were insufficient.
Despite having no enforcement powers and only being able to make recommendations, the agency called on manufacturers to create vehicle-specific guides for dealing with battery fires and preventing chemical thermal runaway and reignition. These guidelines should also include information on how to safely store vehicles with damaged lithium-ion batteries, according to the agency.
Tesla started rolling out its electric Semis in December 2022, a good three years after CEO Elon Musk promised the trucks would hit the road. Musk has claimed that the Semi can travel up to 500 miles on a single charge while hauling an 82,000-pound load.
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