Details About Last Month’s Tesla Semi Crash Surface

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Back in August we covered how Interstate 80 in Northern California was shut down in both directions after a Tesla Semi crashed on the shoulder. What started as a couple hours of so of shutdown soon became a 15-hour shutdown as fire crews struggled to manage the blaze and the toxic emissions produced by it.

Tesla Cybertruck goes off-roading, wheel snaps off.

Now new details about the incident have been released and they’re shocking to say the least. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings to the public, concluding the Tesla wrecked out after hitting a traffic delineator on a steel post, plowing through a smaller tree on the side of the interstate before coming to rest against several trees.

Not only did California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection respond to the crash scene, Tesla sent a technical expert to assist. Even with all those professionals tackling the fire, it took days to extinguish.

Putting out the fire required about 50,000 gallons of water, say NTSB. Some was to put out the flames, the rest used to cool the batteries so they wouldn’t reignite.

One of the big concerns during the firefighting efforts was that the surrounding forest could ignite. That involved CAL FIRE dropping fire retardant preventatively to the forest area around the fire. The last thing California needs is yet another wildfire, considering there have already been too many.

Thankfully, in the whole ordeal the driver of the Tesla Semi wasn’t injured. Considering the intensity of the fire, that’s fortunate.

After officials were confident the truck could be moved, it was taken to an outdoor area where it was monitored for 24 hours for any signs the fire might reignite. After all, EVs can famously catch fire after a crash, sometimes days later. Why just 24 hours was deemed sufficient isn’t clear.

Image via NTSB