In a tragic incident near Houston, Texas, a Tesla Cybertruck owner was incinerated alive after the electric vehicle crashed and burst into flames.
KHOU reports that the fatal crash, believed to be the first for the new Tesla Cybertruck, occurred at 1:45 a.m. on Monday, just off the east Texas coast. According to police reports, the trendy but troubled EV veered off Cedar Parkway in the Baytown area for unknown reasons and crashed into a concrete drainage channel or culvert. The intense fire that followed left the owner’s body and the truck’s identifying features, such as license plates and VIN, unrecognizable among the char.
Local authorities, along with the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are investigating the cause of the deadly incident. The Cybertruck, once touted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as “apocalypse proof,” has faced numerous safety issues since its debut in late November 2023, requiring no less than four recalls.
While some Tesla enthusiasts have questioned the media’s focus on this particular incident, scientists and automotive safety experts have highlighted the unique challenges posed by lithium-ion battery fires in electric vehicles. Dr Apparao Rao, a physicist at Clemson University, and his colleagues have explained that a typical runaway battery fire in an EV burns at approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 Celsius), which is half the temperature on the surface of the sun.
At these extreme temperatures, most metals, including the Cybertruck’s stainless steel, can melt. Additionally, extinguishing an EV battery fire requires up to 10 times more water than a standard combustion-engine automotive fire.
The severity of the fire in this incident prevented the identification of the Cybertruck driver due to the extreme temperatures. NHTSA is currently seeking further information from Tesla regarding potential flaws in the Cybertruck that may have contributed to this fatality.
Despite Elon Musk’s public demonstrations showcasing the Cybertruck’s durability, the EV has faced criticism for prioritizing design aesthetics over safety. In April, Tesla temporarily halted Cybertruck deliveries due to reports of the accelerator pedal getting stuck at full speed, resulting in the recall of nearly 4,000 vehicles.
Read more at KHOU here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
