Tesla Semi Catches Fire on the Highway [VIDEOS]

A Tesla Semi caught fire on Interstate 880 in Hayward, California, on Tuesday evening, shutting down the freeway for hours. According to ABC7 News, the fire started around 5:35 p.m. in the southbound lanes near Route 92, and the California Highway Patrol closed both directions from Winton Avenue to Route 92 about 10 minutes later due to the risk of hazardous smoke.

No one was hurt, and no other vehicles were involved. The driver told officers the truck simply caught fire and that they didn’t know why.

A Long Night on I-880

Northbound lanes reopened at 8:40 p.m., but southbound took much longer. The CHP said the Semi’s lithium battery fire was very difficult to put out, and officials initially warned it could burn for 15 to 18 hours. Crews beat that estimate, and all southbound lanes reopened around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, roughly 10 hours after the fire started.

Videos shared online show thick black smoke rising over the freeway as flames cover the tractor, with the front of the white trailer behind it badly burned.

The cab’s red-and-orange coloring indicates that it was one of the Frito-Lay Semis Tesla has been delivering to PepsiCo since late 2022. If that’s the case, the truck was part of an active commercial fleet. Here’s what one looks like when it’s not on fire:

Frito-Lay

The Original Semi, Not the Refresh

The truck that caught fire was Tesla’s original Semi design. Tesla unveiled a refreshed Semi last fall in Standard Range and Long Range versions, featuring a Model Y-style light bar, up to 500 miles of range, and 1.2 MW peak charging. The first units rolled off Tesla’s new Nevada production lines earlier this spring, and Tesla recently inaugurated the factory with a full event. The plant can build up to 50,000 trucks a year.

Tesla also recently showed off the European version of its Semi, which adds an emergency escape ladder inside the cab that gives the driver a way out through the overhead hatch if the truck tips over.

@TheEVuniverse / X

This isn’t the first Semi fire to close a California interstate. In August 2024, a Tesla-operated Semi caught fire on I-80 after running off the road and hitting a tree. What stands out about the Hayward fire is that there was no crash.

Cause Still Unknown

Tesla hasn’t issued a statement on the fire or shared what caused it, and the CHP says the exact cause has yet to be confirmed. Without a crash, investigators will likely focus on the truck itself, including the battery pack and high-voltage system.

With high-volume Semi production now underway and more fleets adding the truck, Tesla’s customers will be watching for answers once the investigation wraps up.