Tesla Semi Fire Shuts I-880 for 10 Hours Without Crash — SkimNews
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- Tesla Semi caught fire around 5:35 p.m. PT Tuesday in the southbound lanes of I-880 near Route 92 in Hayward; its lithium-ion battery burned, the driver escaped unhurt, and no crash or other vehicle involvement was reported.
- CHP Hayward closed I-880 in both directions over hazardous chemical smoke; crews beat the agency’s initial 15-to-18-hour battery-burn warning, reopening all lanes around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday after about 10 hours.
- Tesla, which does not have a press office, has not commented; the operator remains unidentified and the cause is under investigation. Photos show the front of a Premier Trailer Leasing trailer charred behind the burned-out tractor, while the driver said the truck caught fire without knowing why.
- NTSB found that an August 2024 Tesla-operated Semi’s battery ignited after it left the road and hit a delineator post and a tree; firefighters used about 50,000 gallons of water, and lanes stayed closed for up to 15 hours.
- Tesla began volume production of the Semi in Nevada this year after nearly a decade of delays and was named lead supplier on a 2,500-truck ZET SCALE order in September.
- WattEV ordered 370 Semis in May, mostly for drayage at the Port of Oakland, just a few miles up I-880 from the Hayward blaze.
- NFPA data shows U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 15,462 large-truck fires a year from 2018-2022; mechanical failure was a factor in 44%, and about 2% were tied to collisions. The source also cites Tesla’s claim of one vehicle fire per 140 million miles, alongside government data showing combustion vehicles catch fire more often than EVs.
Why it matters: With volume production underway and Tesla named lead supplier for a 2,500-truck ZET SCALE order, the missing cause matters to customers including WattEV and to highway response agencies such as CHP. The 2024 Semi fire required 50,000 gallons of water and a closure of up to 15 hours; another crash-free shutdown without a Tesla explanation leaves a concrete safety-accountability gap.
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