Photo: Facebook / Highway to Hell
On April 22, the limited-edition Dream series of the Lucid Air EV became one entry short: a Lucid Air Dream Edition burned to a crisp on the bed of the trailer that was carrying it for delivery in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The cause of the fire has been revealed.
News of the fire broke first on social media, where an eyewitness told of the hours-long effort on the part of firefighters to put out the blaze on the Lucid’s battery pack. In the end, they had to dump the wreck into a container and “drown” it to keep it from reigniting, initial reports said.
Because word about EV-related fires tends to spread like wildfire (ha!) and is often politicized, Len Devanna, Lucid’s head of digital experience, immediately chimed in to urge restraint. The incident was still under investigation, he said, but all signs pointed to the fact that the fire had started in the engine bay of the towing truck and had not been caused by the luxury EV sitting in the trailer.
This is confirmed by the police incident report obtained by Carscoops. The driver of the towing truck had just pulled in for a restroom and coffee break and, while inside, noticed smoke coming out of the engine bay of the truck. He went outside to check it, saw that smoke was coming from the air intake to the turbo and used a dry chemical extinguisher. Even though he could see no flames, he went to retrieve his dog and wallet from the cabin and stepped back inside to call 911.
By the time first-responders arrived, the entire rig, including its $170,000 cargo, was engulfed in flames. The fire spread from the engine bay towards the rear, exploding a spare tire and then engulfing the Lucid. The battery pack on the EV made putting out the blaze all the more challenging because of its position and the fact that it was protected by a carbon fiber panel. Once firefighters had access to the batteries, they cooled them off and, as an extra precaution and put what was left of the Lucid into a “roll-off dumpster.”
More than 8,000 gallons (36,368 liters) of water were used during the 4-hour operation. The already difficult intervention was made even more so by the fact that there was no fire hydrant nearby and that firefighters lacked “the resources needed for future events of this type,” according to Lt. Craig Nedell, who signed the incident report.
Because word about EV-related fires tends to spread like wildfire (ha!) and is often politicized, Len Devanna, Lucid’s head of digital experience, immediately chimed in to urge restraint. The incident was still under investigation, he said, but all signs pointed to the fact that the fire had started in the engine bay of the towing truck and had not been caused by the luxury EV sitting in the trailer.
This is confirmed by the police incident report obtained by Carscoops. The driver of the towing truck had just pulled in for a restroom and coffee break and, while inside, noticed smoke coming out of the engine bay of the truck. He went outside to check it, saw that smoke was coming from the air intake to the turbo and used a dry chemical extinguisher. Even though he could see no flames, he went to retrieve his dog and wallet from the cabin and stepped back inside to call 911.
By the time first-responders arrived, the entire rig, including its $170,000 cargo, was engulfed in flames. The fire spread from the engine bay towards the rear, exploding a spare tire and then engulfing the Lucid. The battery pack on the EV made putting out the blaze all the more challenging because of its position and the fact that it was protected by a carbon fiber panel. Once firefighters had access to the batteries, they cooled them off and, as an extra precaution and put what was left of the Lucid into a “roll-off dumpster.”
More than 8,000 gallons (36,368 liters) of water were used during the 4-hour operation. The already difficult intervention was made even more so by the fact that there was no fire hydrant nearby and that firefighters lacked “the resources needed for future events of this type,” according to Lt. Craig Nedell, who signed the incident report.
Since I've seen it mentioned, we're aware of a weekend incident near Bridgewater, MA involving a truck transporting a Lucid Air. Initial report suggests the fire originated in the engine compartment of the truck during transport. We await the formal report from local authorities.
— Len Devanna (@LenDevanna) April 26, 2022
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