Tesla big rig fire

[dodge man]

Two things being discussed. One a Tesla big rig and another where a car caught fire in a parking garage.

 

[Minsid]

Once a lithium battery starts to overheat it produces its own oxygen to continue to cause the flare up to get hotter and hotter. You can't use water to put out the flame of a lithium battery burning, you can only cool it down to slow the self production of oxygen to keep the heat away from other things that might catch on fire.

If you can get enough cooling on the pack the cell burning will burn out eventually and the neighboring ones won't catch. (We're saying the same thing) The trouble is getting enough water/foam inside the sealed armored battery case to make this happen, spraying the outside won't do it. Procedures are evolving, I've seen an experimental spike that will pierce the pack from below and carry water directly inside. That could work or it could generate a steam explosion where the case ruptures suddenly.

There are alot of different ways this could evolve. Nothing is standardized, every manufacturer has their own solutions. At this point letting it burn is quite valid.

 

[California]

Two things being discussed. One a Tesla big rig and another where a car caught fire in a parking garage.

Plus #3 the Tesla in the lake. But that one was driver error.

 

[5030]

Li-Ion batteries when burning, produce their own oxygen to keep burning and no amount of water will extinguish them and that is a fact, not fiction,

 

[plowhog]

Now it is being reported that Cal Fire brought in air assets to fight the fire ...

Big rig fire closes portion of I-80 near Emigrant Gap

A big rig fire led to an I-80 closure near Emigrant Gap on Monday morning.Authorities say I-80 westbound traffic is being diverted at California SR-20 due to t

mynews4.com

 

[Fixastuff]

Earth “I’m 71% water you can’t burn me”

Tesla “hold my beer and watch this”

lol.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Plus #3 the Tesla in the lake. But that one was driver error.

This one was my favorite, because it made me laugh as opposed to sigh.

 

[California]

Now it is being reported that Cal Fire brought in air assets to fight the fire ...

Big rig fire closes portion of I-80 near Emigrant Gap

A big rig fire led to an I-80 closure near Emigrant Gap on Monday morning.Authorities say I-80 westbound traffic is being diverted at California SR-20 due to t

mynews4.com

Plowhog is that an upgrade where he may have been passing a slow truck?

Most of that stretch is steep uphill, climbing from the Valley (sea level) to 7,240 ft Donner Summit in 75 miles.

This local news video (below) is a good description at the time. There are red retardant traces on the pavement and in the trees from the air drop. That is dry high-risk country.

The news video was made during the all-day traffic halt. It includes a CHP representative saying there's no indication of DUI but investigation will look at the possibility that the driver fell asleep.

 

[Torvy]

The company my wife retired from had a Tesla rig as part of the proof of concept.

Much different than typical OTR trucking. Mostly delivery of product within 200 miles or so of a plant...and in Texas, not mountains.

They didn't have any problems, but way too expensive to replace all of their tractors with Tesla ones.

 

[plowhog]

Plowhog is that an upgrade where he may have been passing a slow truck?

The accident was reported at Laing road. That is a mild to moderate upslope, not bad. Two lanes eastbound with shoulders on each side. Trucks are usually running full speed at Laing road because the upslope has just started after a pretty long downslope section that lets them build speed. I know the truck speeds are good in that area because when I blew a tire on a travel trailer there it was quite hazardous being in the shoulder with high speed big rigs passing close by.

I went back and looked at the very first picture in post #1. Truck buried off road into the forest, only the rear visible, and no skid marks and no debris indicating a collision with someone else. So I can understand the speculation, also at 3am time, that falling asleep might have been a factor.

I have not seen any report on whether this truck was in service hauling goods or if maybe it was a "test" Tesla truck. I have seen a few Tesla trucks transiting the Sierras, but only a few.