US traffic safety authority launches investigation into Tesla accident in California

(Reuters) – The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into an accident and fire involving a Tesla electric semi-trailer truck on a California highway, the agency said late Wednesday.

The NTSB will conduct the safety investigation jointly with the California Highway Patrol, according to a post on the social media platform X.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker and the California Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

A Tesla electric semi-trailer truck crashed near Emigrant Cap in northern California late Monday night after its engine caught fire. The incident closed a highway for more than half a day, local media reported. No injuries were reported, however.

Auto experts say fires in electric vehicles burn differently than in vehicles with combustion engines. They often last longer and are harder to put out because they tend to reignite.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)