TESLA
WORKED TO CUT THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR OFF AND HIDE
IT FROM THE PRESS
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, Calif. (KGO) --
After Friday's fiery fatal crash of a Tesla Model X on
U.S. Highway 101, police and firefighters are assessing
how emergency response will need to change in a world
where electric cars are becoming more common.
On Monday, Caltrans workers were at the scene, clearing
debris and repairing a freeway divider that was damaged
when the Tesla crashed into it and was struck by two
other cars before becoming engulfed in flames. The crash
shut down a carpool ramp and two lanes of the freeway
for almost 6 hours -- twice as long as most accidents of
this type, said Ofc. Art Montiel, a spokesperson for the
California Highway Patrol.
RELATED: Tesla
driver hospitalized after fiery crash on southbound
Hwy 101 in Mountain View
"Because the battery was exposed, we were unsure whether
it was safe for us to move the vehicle," Montiel said.
Mountain View's Fire Department typically puts out a car
fire in minutes. But according to Chief Juan Diaz, this
is the first time the department has had to deal with a
Tesla battery that was split open and on fire.
Made up of more than 7,000 individual cells, many of
them strewn across several lanes of the freeway, the
battery was both an electrocution hazard and a fire
hazard, the chief said. Lithium-ion batteries damaged
from impact can go into a state called "thermal
runaway."
"The battery itself overheats, the plastic components
that separate the modules of the battery begin to
ignite, and eventually, you wind up with a battery that
is on fire," he said, adding that lithium ignites at a
temperature of more than 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chief Diaz said the fire department considered dousing
the battery with the recommended 3,000 gallons of water,
but that would've required stopping all traffic to run a
hose across the freeway. Another option would've been to
let the fire burn itself out -- but firefighters also
decided against that.
"The environmental hazard that creates, as well as the
traffic hazard, was not an option we wanted to explore,"
the chief said.
The fire department opted to call Tesla, whose engineers
came out to test and dismantle as much of the battery as
they could, while firefighters looked on.
"This is the first time that we've had to consult Tesla
to have them respond to the scene," Chief Diaz said.
Tesla's actually no stranger to the Mountain View Fire
Department. They've conducted trainings with
firefighters, including some at their factory in
Fremont, on how to handle Tesla batteries when they're
damaged in an accident, and how to disconnect batteries
from each Tesla model.
"That's one of the advantages of being in Silicon Valley
-- that some of the best minds and engineers are just
around the corner," Diaz said.
But Silicon Valley is also full of early adopters --
meaning electric cars are quickly becoming more common
here.
"We know there's gonna be more and more coming in the
future," Diaz said. "For the fire service, what it means
is we're gonna have to be on the scene longer."
In this case, that included a fire engine company that
escorted the Tesla to a tow yard, and then stood guard
for hours.
"Even after 24 hours of extinguishment, these (lithium)
ion batteries could reignite if they've been damaged,
and again cause a fire," Diaz said.
Fire crews arrived to the scene of the accident around
9:30 a.m. Chief Diaz said the last engine company went
back into service around 4:30 p.m. In a gasoline car
fire, he said, all companies would've likely been back
in service within minutes.
In response to past incidents, Tesla has said that
gasoline-powered cars are five times more likely to
catch fire in a crash than a Tesla. Chief Diaz has said
he doesn't believe a Tesla is any less safe than a
gas-powered car -- and, in fact, is probably less likely
to roll over in a high speed crash due to its low center
of gravity.
.