Tesla EV SEMI Crash and Fire, Closes I-80
- Thread starter jetman
- Start date
same thing happened to a normal semi here in Iowa this morning.
https://who13.com/news/semi-crashes-catches-fire-on-i-80-in-urbandale-early-wednesday/
https://who13.com/news/semi-crashes-catches-fire-on-i-80-in-urbandale-early-wednesday/
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Big difference when it comes to the intensity of fire and the resources necessary to extinguish the fire between EV and ICE.
True...never said it didn't. I can say when I drove by the accident 4 hours later it was still extremely hot (could feel it through my windows) and smoking.
I bet the cargo matters as much or more.
ICE carrying a trailer load of diesel fuel...compared to a battery powered semi carrying a load of water- I don't know.
The problem is there no way to extinguish a giant battery.
I guess you could argue the same for a trailer load of diesel fuel but once that's out its not coming back.
Car sized ones are a bad day for the fire dept.. let alone a SEMI sized battery (900kwh 1000v)
preliminary reports were over $200k to respond the the tesla semi fire.
Here's a fire caused by a semi accident that melted and collapsed an overpass:
https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2009/07/crews_start_cleanup_after_fier.html
What fueled the fire? Gasoline.
One thing is for sure, any kinda news with "Tesla" in it is guaranteed big sale!
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
What are you trying to say, that all ICE are carrying 13,000 gallons of gasoline? Than what happenswith EV trucks hauling gasoline?
I am having hard time following your "logic."
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
The problem is that not all ICE have 13,000 gallons of fuel. All EV trucks have a huge battery pack that will require Fire One alarm.
No, not at all...I said "I bet the cargo matters as much or more"...
Semi's sadly catch fire as do cars. Yes, the fuel source, battery or liquid type, requires efforts to put out. The battery does burn hotter and is much harder to extinguish, but carries less total energy than full tanks of liquid fuel (how many times do we talk about energy density of liquid vs. battery?)
My original post was "same thing happened to a normal semi here in Iowa this morning" - I was just stating a fact, and not trying to start any arguments. I drove right by it, it was quite spectacular even four hours later. The pictures you can find online don't even show the cab that they pulled at least 100 yards forward of the trailer, and it is burnt beyond recognition. They had it all cleaned up by the time I drove home, but the concrete will show evidence for years to come, and you could still smell it.
Is a battery vehicle harder to put out if they catch fire = yes
Does a battery vehicle carry more energy = not likely (unless the ICE vehicle is almost empty, but then it is a greater explosion risk)
Are both of these outweighed by the potential danger of the load being carried = yes
I think I follow it. If you add 13K gallons of gas to an ICE truck fire it's a more fair comparison I guess.
Conflicting reports here. We don't know "IF" there was an actual significant crash. At least one report says there was no trailer, no other vehicles involved and the Semi was operated by Tesla.
It does seem the driver walked away.
It does seem the driver walked away.
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edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Not the same thing, traffic was closed for two hours at most in the traditional semi fire which was in the cargo area.
In the Tesla semi fire, traffic was closed for almost 16 hours and likely over $200,000 to put out! I mean, let's be factual, there is no hiding that lithium fires are a HUGE problem to put out. Never mind the massive cost to the public trying to drive from point A to Point B that day.
"A Tesla Semi truck crashed into trees and caught fire off the side of a highway in California early Monday, causing road closures on I-80 for almost 16 hours. As reported by KCRA 3 News, Cal Fire crews first headed to the crash site near the Nevada border after 3AM local time."
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/20/24224576/tesla-semi-crash-fire-highway-california-i-80
I've never seen a fire like this but I have seen a number of traditional semis burn due to stuck trailer brakes.
The results are in.
Highway was closed for 15 hours, 50,000 gallons of water was used and temperatures reached up to 1000°
The forestry service used an airplane to dump water and chemicals to make sure the fire did not spread into the forest.
There is no denying that lithium batteries pose a significant risk if they catch on fire.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...-gallons-of-water-and-fire-fighting-aircraft/
Highway was closed for 15 hours, 50,000 gallons of water was used and temperatures reached up to 1000°
The forestry service used an airplane to dump water and chemicals to make sure the fire did not spread into the forest.
There is no denying that lithium batteries pose a significant risk if they catch on fire.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...-gallons-of-water-and-fire-fighting-aircraft/
They do. We should just ban them.
Sounds like a plan.
