Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla is making headlines again. Last month, a major traffic accident occurred on an interstate highway in California. A Tesla semi-electric truck had an accident and caught fire. Firefighters then had to use 50,000 gallons (about 200,000 liters) of water to put out the fire. Not only that, the fire was so serious that the fire department had to spray fire retardant from an airplane as a precaution.
How the accident happened:
According to USA Today, a Tesla employee crashed a Tesla Semi (battery-powered truck) while traveling east on Interstate 80. The driver of the truck was heading to the Tesla factory in Nevada. On the way, the road curved uphill and the truck went off the road and hit a traffic delineator mounted on the front steel pillar.
The NTSB said the truck left the road and struck a tree about 12 1/2 inches thick, then continued down the slope until it came to a stop after striking several trees. The investigation agency said, “The vehicle is equipped with a lithium-ion battery, and the battery caught fire after the accident, but the driver was safe in this accident.”
1,000 F Aircraft Fire Control:
According to the report of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the temperature of the battery reached 1000 degrees Fahrenheit after the accident. Obviously, such a temperature can instantly burn any living thing, object, etc. to ashes. The agency said that in addition to using water to cool the vehicle battery after the fire, California firefighters also used aircraft to spray flame retardant at the crash site as a precaution.
Let us tell you that flame retardant is a flame-retardant substance used to extinguish fire or reduce the intensity of fire.
Why lithium batteries are famous:
The Tesla electric truck fire incident has once again raised questions about the safety of electric vehicles. In this context, it is also important to understand why electric vehicles need to use lithium batteries. In fact, lithium-ion batteries are popular because they are compact and can store more power despite their small size.
A typical 1 kg lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of energy. A nickel-metal hydride battery pack (100 watt-hours per kg) or a lead-acid battery (25 watt-hours per kg) has the same storage capacity. It would take 6 kg of lead-acid batteries to store the same amount of energy as a 1 kg lithium-ion battery.
How safe are lithium batteries?
However, lithium-ion batteries are highly sensitive to high temperatures and are inherently flammable. Due to the heat, these battery packs deteriorate faster than normal and are more likely to catch fire. If a lithium-ion battery pack is damaged, the likelihood of a fire also increases.
A lithium-ion battery pack contains lithium-ion cells mounted in modules, temperature sensors, voltage taps, and an onboard computer (battery management system) to manage all the cells. Like any other battery, a lithium-ion battery has a positive electrode (cathode), a negative electrode (anode), and a chemical called an electrolyte between them. The anode is generally made of graphite (carbon), while the cathode uses different lithium materials – lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), nickel manganese cobalt lithium (or NMC), etc.
Why lithium batteries catch fire:
Currently, most electric vehicles use lithium batteries, which are known for their high driving range and ease of installation in any vehicle design. There are many reasons why lithium-ion battery packs can catch fire. For example, manufacturing defects, design flaws, misuse, charging problems, or the use of low-quality components.
Tesla Semi Electric Truck:
Elon Musk first showed the world the concept of the semi-electric truck in 2017. At that time, he said it would be available in 2019. But for various reasons, its launch was delayed and it will not be launched until 2022. Tesla calls this electric truck “the beast” on its official website, so let’s take a look at how powerful this beast is——
This electric truck has three separate electric motors. The combination of all these motors can provide instant torque and extra power to the truck at all speeds. One special thing about this truck is that it is quite economical compared to a regular diesel truck. According to Tesla, charging the electric truck battery is “2.5 times cheaper per mile than refueling with diesel.”
Tesla estimates that operators can save up to $200,000 in fuel costs over 3 years. Since it is an electric vehicle, it has fewer moving parts than a regular dealer truck. Therefore, its maintenance is simple and economical.
scope: 500 miles (800 km)
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 20 seconds
Energy consumption: Consumes less than 2kWh per mile
weight: 37,194 kg
Charging time: 70% in 30 minutes
Company Security Statement:
The company made a big claim about the Tesla Semi electric truck’s safe driving. The company said the truck comes standard with many modern safety features. This, combined with advanced electric motors and brake control, provides traction and stability in all conditions. In its cab, the driver’s seat is right in the middle (center). The company said this sitting position gives the driver a better view.
In addition to the large windshield of the cab, the side windows also adopt a large area of gloss. In addition, there are two large monitors in the cab, which display the conditions of the two sides of the truck and the road through cameras. The company also said that its all-electric architecture significantly reduces the risk of rollover in the event of an accident.
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