Tesla signage is noticed at a Tesla showroom on July 05, 2024 in New York Town. Michael M. Santiago | Getty ImagesA crash and big fireplace alongside a California highway involving an electrical Tesla Semi has drawn the eye of federal protection investigators.The U.S. Nationwide Transportation Protection Board mentioned Thursday it is sending a workforce of investigators from the Place of work of Freeway Protection basically to seem into fireplace dangers posed via lithium-ion batteries.The workforce will paintings with the California Freeway Patrol to “read about the wreckage and collect information about the occasions main as much as the collision and the next fireplace reaction,” the company mentioned in a observation.The Los Angeles Instances reported that the Tesla rig used to be touring east on Interstate 80 round 3:15 a.m. Monday close to Emigrant Hole, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento, when it went off the street and collided with timber close to the suitable shoulder.The battery stuck fireplace, spewing poisonous fumes and attaining a temperature of one,000 levels, forcing firefighters to look ahead to it to burn out, the Freeway Patrol informed the newspaper. The Tesla motive force walked clear of the crash and used to be taken to a clinic, and the highway used to be quickly closed.The battery burned into the overdue afternoon whilst firefighters attempted to chill it down for cleanup, and the highway did not reopen till 7:20 p.m., government mentioned.A message used to be left Thursday in quest of remark at the crash and fireplace from Tesla.After an investigation that resulted in 2021 the NTSB made up our minds that high-voltage electrical car battery fires pose dangers to first responders and that tips from producers about learn how to handle them had been insufficient.The company, which has no enforcement powers and will best make suggestions, referred to as for producers to put in writing vehicle-specific reaction guides for preventing battery fires and restricting chemical thermal runaway and reignition. The information additionally will have to come with data on learn how to safely retailer cars with broken lithium-ion batteries, the company mentioned.Tesla started turning in the electrical Semis in December of 2022, greater than 3 years after CEO Elon Musk mentioned his corporate would get started making the vans. Musk has mentioned the Semi has a spread in keeping with fee of 500 miles (800 kilometers) when pulling an 82,000-pound (37,000-kilo) load.
