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Bottom line: Statistical data shows that electric vehicle fires occur at a similar frequency to those in vehicles with internal combustion engines, but this offers little comfort to firefighters. These fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and pose increased dangers to first responders. At least two fires have resulted from Tesla Cybertruck crashes, raising concerns about the safety of high-voltage lithium-ion batteries.
Earlier this week, a Tesla Cybertruck erupted into flames after crashing into a fire hydrant outside a Bass Pro Shop in Harlingen, Texas. The collision resulted in a deluge of water soaking the vehicle's battery, which then ignited, according to Assistant Fire Chief Ruben Balboa of the Harlingen Fire Department. First responders arrived at the scene and believed they had extinguished the flames engulfing the Cybertruck. However, the fire reignited after they had stopped the water flow onto the battery, highlighting a challenging concern associated with electric vehicle fires.
This incident is the second fire in Texas involving a Tesla Cybertruck. The first happened after an owner drove into a ditch. It is the first fatal crash involving the model. In that case, the blaze's intensity was so severe that it obliterated the vehicle's VIN and left the driver unidentifiable.
The Harlingen incident underscores the difficulties these fires pose to first responders attempting to extinguish blazing batteries. Electric vehicle batteries can undergo a process known as thermal runaway, where a failure in one cell generates enough heat and gas to cause a chain reaction in adjacent cells.
The resulting fire burns at extremely high temperatures, sometimes reaching 2,300 to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, taking hours to extinguish. Firefighters have had to adapt their tactics to fight these fires, using full personal protective equipment due to the toxic fumes. New solutions, such as EV fire-specific fire blankets, are also being developed to address these challenges.
Additionally, first responders have found that EV fires demand significantly more water to extinguish. In 2021, Austin Fire Department Division Chief Thayer Smith told Futurism that Tesla vehicles require up to 30,000 to 40,000 gallons of water to put out – approximately 40 times the amount needed for a combustion engine car.
Ironically, Tesla posted a detailed rescue sheet for its Cybertruck the week before the Harlingen fire. Tesla designed the guide to assist first responders by informing them where the vehicle's low and high-voltage power cables terminate.
While such incidents tend to make headlines, it's important to note that electric vehicles generally do not catch fire more frequently than internal combustion engine vehicles. Tesla's global data indicates that, on average, a Tesla vehicle fire occurs once every 130 million miles traveled, significantly less frequent than the average vehicle fire rate of one per 18 million miles traveled in the US.