U.S. Transportation Safety Board Opens Investigation Into Tesla Semi Crash And Fire In California

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday that it is opening a safety investigation into the crash involving a Tesla Inc. TSLA Semi truck in California earlier this month.

What Happened: The investigation will be conducted in coordination with the California Highway Patrol, the agency said in a post on social media platform X.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment on the investigation.

The accident occurred on Aug. 19 on Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap, California. The Tesla Semi ran off the road at about 3 a.m. on Monday and the vehicle’s battery subsequently caught fire. The incident caused a traffic standstill for several hours.

Why It Matters: The Tesla Semi is currently in pilot production. Several companies are piloting the truck in their fleets including PepsiCo and third-party logistics provider NFI Industries.

Tesla is on track to start production of the Semi by the end of 2025. The company is now working on the preparation of the high-volume Semi factory at the Nevada gigafactory, with an eventual target capacity of 50,000 units a year, Tesla Semi Truck Engineering Senior Manager Dan Priestly said in May.

As per comments from Tesla executive Lars Moravy in April, Tesla will commence production of the Semi in late 2025 but vehicles will start rolling out to external customers only in 2026.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla