This is a story that actually took place nearly a month ago, but a detailed investigation by the NTSB has brought fresh attention to it. In the early morning hours of August 19th, an unnamed, long-haul big rig driver was traveling along I-80 northeast of San Franciso. Much of the state was already going up in flames because of the summer wildfires, but the region near Emigrant Gap was still relatively untouched. Shortly after three in the morning, the driver failed to navigate a curve in the highway and went off the road, crashing into some trees down a short slope. Thankfully, the driver escaped with only minor injuries.
The crash was only the beginning of the driver’s problems, however. He wasn’t driving a standard big rig. He was at the wheel of a new Tesla Semi, an electric vehicle with one of the largest EV batteries on the market. Shortly after striking the tree, the truck’s…