Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing a Cybertruck crash that killed three college students last month in California.
"NHTSA is aware of the crash and is gathering information from the manufacturer and law enforcement," a spokesperson for the agency told Business Insider, adding that an investigation hasn't been opened yet.
The Piedmont Police Department and the California Highway Patrol are looking into the Tesla crash, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said at a media briefing. CFP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
The Piedmont Police Department was alerted about the crash at 3:08 a.m. on November 27, according to Bowers. The police arrived at the scene and found the Cybertruck vehicle in flames. Three of the four people in the car were killed, and the fourth sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Bowers said at the media briefing that the police officers attempted to extinguish the fire at the crash site, but it was "too intense." The Piedmont Fire Department eventually extinguished the fire, he said.
The cause of the crash still remains unknown, although Bowers said at the briefing that speed was likely a "contributing factor." He also said there was no indication that mechanical issues were the primary cause of the collision, although he said the investigation was still in the early stages.
The Piedmont crash stands as the second fatal Cybertruck crash in the US. The previous fatal crash, which occurred in August, also involved a Cybertruck and a fire after a driver drove off a road in Texas.
Like traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines, electric vehicles can catch fire in crashes. However, EVs have posed challenges with putting out fires in a timely manner because of their large lithium-ion batteries. When an EV battery enters a cycle of overheating and over-pressurizing, it can result in fires or explosions.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized media coverage of Tesla models that have caught fire and maintained that the automaker's vehicles are some of the safest on the road.
"Considering the odds in the absolute, you are more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than experience even a non-injurious fire in a Tesla," Musk wrote in a 2013 blog post addressing recent Tesla fires.
The "'apocalypse-proof' Cybertruck, as Musk has described it, has faced multiple recalls since the first deliveries about a year ago, many of which were addressed through software updates. The most recent was due to a faulty vehicle part that could cause the vehicle's wheels to lose power.
Prior to that, 27,000 Cybertrucks were recalled because of a rearview camera issue that could increase the risk of accidents when driving in reverse. In addition to the recalls, NHTSA has also received 21 complaints about issues ranging from broken windshield wipers to issues with the electrical system.
The NHTSA has investigated other Tesla vehicles, often regarding the company's Autopilot or Full-Self-Driving technology. In October, the agency opened an investigation covering 2.4 million Tesla vehicles. The investigation followed reports of four crashes involving FSD in areas where road visibility had been reduced.
