Tesla, the leading electric vehicle company, recently made headlines as one of its semi-tractors caught fire at a service center in Rocklin, California. The incident, which happened on November 24, took over 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish, highlighting a unique challenge that firefighting crews face when dealing with electric vehicle fires.
At approximately 7 pm, the Rocklin Fire Department was dispatched to the Tesla service center where the semi-tractor was fully engulfed in flames. The firefighters started to battle the inferno but quickly realized the complexity of extinguishing an electric vehicle fire. The fiery ordeal lasted for hours, consuming a massive amount of water, around 50,000 gallons.
Electric vehicles, like that of Tesla, are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a distinct difference from traditional vehicles that run on gasoline. When set ablaze, these batteries can reignite, creating what officials refer to as a “thermal runway”. The phenomenon occurs when one cell in a battery overheats it can induce the overheating of nearby cells causing them to catch fire as well. This cycle can continue and lead to a much larger fire, making electric vehicle fires more challenging and time-consuming to put out compared to traditional vehicle fires.
In this particular case, the extensive amount of heat produced from the burning vehicle caused the water being used to extinguish the fire to evaporate before it could cool the vehicle down. This prompted the need for additional water, reaching an astonishing total of 50,000 gallons. For context, an average residential swimming pool holds around 20,000 gallons of water, meaning this incident required over two and a half times that amount.
The Rocklin Fire Department posted on social media that crews stayed on the scene overnight to ensure there were no flare-ups. To successfully prevent any recurrence, the Tesla semi was submerged in a container filled with water. Fire departments seeing such cases are now suggesting that these special containers be kept on hand, filled and ready at all charging and service stations for electric vehicles.
Given the rising prevalence of electric vehicles, it is increasingly important for firefighting teams to be equipped and trained to effectively handle these types of fires. Additionally, electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla may need to investigate further and come up with innovative solutions to make their vehicles safer and less prone to such extremities.
One of Tesla’s Semi prototypes was involved in the incident, indicating that the company still has strides to make before the mass-market rollout of these vehicles. As per the reports, there were no casualties, but the vehicle was damaged beyond repair.
This incident serves as a reminder of the unique challenges and dangers associated with electric vehicles, and how emergency response teams must adapt to them. Regularly updated training protocols and specialized equipment, coupled with research and development on safer battery technologies, will play a crucial role in mitigating the risks associated with electric vehicle fires in the future. The lessons learned from these unfortunate incidents can guide the safe and sustainable growth of the electric vehicle industry.