The first reported Tesla Semi crash took place in Placer County, California early this morning. Fortunately no injuries were reported, but the Semi did catch fire, resulting in authorities closing down a section of highway.
Tesla first launched the Semi in late 2022 to PepsiCo, delivering several dozen to the company since then. While the number of Tesla Semi trucks on the road is still quite small, Tesla has recently been adding to those numbers by expanding their testing partners to include more companies, like Walmart, Sysco, and others.
Tesla has also been testing the Semi internally, using them to haul goods between its factories in California and Nevada.
Now the first Tesla Semi crash has been reported. According to local media, a Tesla Semi veered off the highway near the Laing Road offramp on Interstate 80 in Northern California at around 3:15am Monday morning. California Highway Patrol (CHP) says the Semi was the only vehicle involved, and that the driver was not injured.
After the crash, the Semi started smoking and the batteries reportedly caught fire. Authorities created a half-mile buffer zone and shut down a section of the highway to battle the fire, which as of 9:00am PT was still smoldering, according to CHP officer Jason Lyman.
Footage from above the scene shows the cab of the Semi has been completely destroyed from the fire.
The cause of the crash has not been determined, but CHP says the Semi did not have a trailer attached at the time of the crash. It is unclear if this Semi belonged to Tesla, PepsiCo, or one of their other testing partners.
Here is some aerial footage of the aftermath of the crash.
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates…
