Tesla Model S spontaneously caught fire while traveling on a California freeway on Saturday afternoon.

Metro Fire of Sacramento reported that the Tesla's battery compartment caught fire just before 4 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 near Sacramento.

Tesla Model S Caught Fire

According to fire officials, the vehicle was moving at "freeway speeds," and "nothing strange" occurred before the unexpected combustion. The Tesla was completely engulfed in flames when firemen got on the scene.

The vehicle battery compartment spontaneously caught fire while it was traveling freeway speeds on EB Hwy 50. The fire was extinguished with approx 6,000 gallons of water, as the battery cells continued to combust. Thankfully no injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/PRmlWzQdXS

— Metro Fire of Sacramento (@metrofirepio) January 29, 2023

 

As Tesla's battery cells continued to explode, firefighters used almost 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze. Fox Business reported that crews also used jacks to raise the truck so that they could enter its undercarriage to extinguish and cool the battery.

Officials tweeted that on Saturday afternoon, crews from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to a Tesla that was "engulfed in flames" due to a battery fire.

In a video uploaded by Metro Fire of Sacramento, firefighters can be seen hosing off a vehicle while other vehicles pass by. Photos of the aftermath of the fire revealed that the vehicle's hood was destroyed, as per CBS News.

Two fire engines, a water tender, and a ladder truck were dispatched to extinguish the blaze, which required 6,000 gallons of water. Fire authorities stated that crews utilized jacks to get access to the undercarriage to extinguish and cool the battery.

No one was wounded in the incident, according to officials. The vehicle's battery compartment spontaneously caught fire while traveling at highway speeds on EB Highway 50, according to a tweet from the fire service. "As the battery cells continued to burn, about 6,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries."

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Previous Similar Cases

Per VOX, a battery pack for an electric car is composed of thousands of smaller lithium-ion cells. A single cell resembles a pouch or cylinder and contains the chemical components that allow the battery to store energy: an anode, a cathode, and a liquid electrolyte.

The cells are integrated into a battery pack encased in durable materials like titanium. This battery pack is often fastened to the undercarriage of the vehicle. The goal is to make the battery nearly inaccessible and, ideally, to shield it from even the most severe impacts.

When an EV battery is faulty, damaged, or malfunctions inside, one or more lithium-ion cells may short-circuit, causing the battery to overheat. The minuscule membranes between the cathode and anode at that time melt, exposing the extremely combustible liquid electrolyte.

Once a fire erupts, heat can spread to further cells, causing a process known as thermal runaway, according to firefighters speaking with Vox. When this occurs, flames spread throughout the battery, sustaining a fire that can burn for hours.

The initial stages of an electric vehicle (EV) fire may look quite tranquil, with smoke emerging from below the car. When thermal runaway occurs, blazing orange flames may swiftly consume an entire automobile.

Because EV batteries contain an enormous amount of stored energy, these flames may reach almost 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Even after the fire seems to be extinguished, latent heat may continue to develop within the battery cells, posing a danger that the car will catch fire several days later.

A fireman described the difficulty of a birthday candle that reignites after being extinguished. Because EV fires are distinct, EV firefighting poses unique challenges. Frequently, firefighters attempt to extinguish automobile flames by smothering them.

In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and General Motors announced an extended recall of all Chevy Bolts made by the automaker due to creased or torn battery components. In 2022, Chrysler issued a recall after an internal investigation revealed that the vehicles were implicated in a dozen separate fires. Chrysler has not officially disclosed the reason for the battery problem and told Vox it is currently researching.

The company's interim remedy consisted of a software update that checks when the car's internal sensors detect that the battery is at risk of burning. The automobiles produced by Tesla have their own set of issues.

Tesla automobiles have retractable external door handles that extend electrically and only when the vehicle is powered. A 2016 Model S emergency response guide indicates that if the external door handles do not function, a button on the inside of the car may be used to unlock the doors manually.

Nonetheless, others claim that this characteristic makes it more challenging for emergency personnel to handle a Tesla fire. According to a complaint filed by the family of Omar Awan, a Florida doctor who died in 2019 when his Model S crashed and erupted into flames, a responding officer could not unlock the doors from the outside.

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