Three people were killed and one seriously injured early Wednesday Tesla The Cybertruck crashed and caught fire in Northern California, authorities said.
Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said speed was likely a factor in the single-vehicle crash, but added that authorities will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
The occupants of the Cybertruck were returning from a “function” around 3:10 a.m. Wednesday, but Bowers did not elaborate. Someone who was also present at the event, but who was driving in a separate car, was able to get the surviving victim out of the Cybertruck.
The chief would not release any identifying information about the victims, citing family privacy.
Although responding police officers were unable to extinguish the flames with fire extinguishers, firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.
Piedmont Fire Chief Dave Brannigan said the speed with which the flames were extinguished meant the Cybertruck’s large lithium-ion battery likely caught fire. He called the incident “more like a typical car fire.”
Bowers, in response to a question about recent Cybertruck recalls, said “there is no indication that there were any mechanical effects that were the primary cause of the crash.”
The Cybertruckwhich has been on sale for about a year, has been recalled six times for safety issues, most recently on Nov. 5, when an electrical inverter failure could cause the drive wheels to lose power.
Other memorabilia covered rear camera images that don’t activate immediately after shifting into reverse, cut parts that can fall off, windshield wipers that can fail, and the wrong font size on the warning lights on the instrument panel. In April, futuristic trucks were recalled to fix gas pedals that can get stuck in interior trim.
The city of Piedmont is located 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of Oakland.
