The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced in a preliminary report that California firefighters had to spray 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish a fire in a roadside Tesla Semi. According to the agency, crews also used a plane to drop fire retardant “in the immediate area as a precautionary measure.”
The accident occurred on August 19 at 3:13 a.m. on the I80 freeway east of Sacramento. The tractor-trailer left the road while negotiating a curve, hit a traffic delineator and eventually crashed into a tree. The driver was unhurt but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The Tesla Semi’s large 900kWh battery caught fire and its temperature reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, spewing toxic fumes. It continued to burn until late afternoon, as firefighters poured water to cool it (Tesla sent a technical expert to assess high-voltage hazards and fire safety). The freeway reopened at 7:20 p.m. (more than 16 hours after the accident).
All of this caught the attention of the NTSB, which sent a team of investigators, primarily to look into the fire risk posed by the large lithium-ion battery pack. The agency — which can only make safety recommendations and has no enforcement authority — said that “all aspects of the accident remain under investigation while the NTSB determines probable cause.”
Given the long road closures, dangerously hot fire and toxic smoke, the accident is likely to generate a lot of discussion inside and outside government. The NTSB concluded in 2021 that battery fires put emergency responders at risk and that manufacturers’ guidelines about such fires were inadequate.
Tesla has officially launched the redesigned Model Y in North America and Europe, just weeks after the vehicle was announced for the Asia Pacific region. The new version isn’t replacing the original Model Y, though — at least not yet — and Tesla is selling both on its website. For the time being, you can only find the long-range all wheel drive Launch Series variant of the new Model Y in the US, which starts at $46,490. The Launch Series is a limited edition release with special badging on the rear liftgate, puddle lights, doorsill plate and other parts of the car.
While the new Model Y retains the proportions of the old version, it has rounded edges, its smaller headlights and taillights bookend a newly designed lightbar. Inside, it has ambient lighting around most of the car, ventilated seats and a 15.4-inch touchscreen at the front. The second-row seats have power recline and can be folded flat. Passengers seated in the back row will also get access to a Bluetooth-enabled 8-inch rearscreen display with a touch panel.
The new Long-Range All Wheel Drive Model Y has an estimated range of 325 miles, has a top speed of 125 mph and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. For comparison, the old Model Y Long-Range AWD could reach 311 miles on a single charge, has a top speed of 135 mph and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Deliveries of the new Model Y will begin in March. If you still want the older version, it starts at $31,490, though keep in mind that the price is increasing by $4,000 in Canada.