Temperature Rises Up to 540 Degrees
Takes 15 Hours to Resume Traffic
It has been confirmed that an enormous amount of water, totaling 190,000 liters (ℓ), was used to extinguish the battery fire of the Tesla electric truck 'Semi' that occurred in the United States last month.
On-site photo related to the preliminary investigation of the Tesla electric truck fire by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). [Image source=Captured from NTSB website]
According to the preliminary investigation results of the 'Tesla Electric Truck Highway Fire Incident' announced by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the 13th (local time), firefighters used a total of 50,000 gallons (189,271L/189㎥) of water to extinguish the fire that broke out at around 3:13 a.m. on the 19th of last month on California's Interstate 80 (I-80). This amount is equivalent to seven times the size of a small residential swimming pool in the U.S.
To put out the fire, firefighters deployed aircraft to spray fire retardants and used thermal imaging scanners to measure the temperature until the battery cooled down. At that time, the battery temperature rose to a maximum of 540 degrees Celsius. It took about 15 hours for the battery to cool completely and for road traffic to resume.
The accident occurred while a Tesla employee was driving the electric truck Semi from Livermore, California, to Tesla’s facility in Sparks, Nevada. While driving uphill on a right-turn curve, the vehicle veered off to the outside of the road, hit a reflective road boundary sign, then struck a tree with a diameter of 32 cm, after which the vehicle’s battery caught fire.
Fortunately, the driver immediately exited the vehicle unharmed, and there were no other injuries. The California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) personnel who arrived at the scene closed the road to prevent the spread of the accident. Fire authorities deployed helicopters to spray fire retardants in the area to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby forests.
On-site photo related to the preliminary investigation of the Tesla electric truck fire by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). [Image source=Captured from NTSB website]
The NTSB stated that it is investigating all aspects of the accident to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents. Tesla also dispatched technical experts to the site to assist authorities by assessing risks such as high voltage hazards, the NTSB reported. Meanwhile, Tesla first unveiled the 'Semi' in November 2017 and delivered the first completed vehicle to beverage company PepsiCo in December 2022, but has yet to begin mass production due to issues such as a shortage of large-capacity battery supply.
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