Tesla Megapack fire destroys mobile supercharger battery unit in Baker, California
Jan 2023Published 10 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- charging station in Baker, California
- What
- fire in mobile Tesla Megapack battery unit
- Cause
- not disclosed publicly
- Outcome
- physical damage largely contained to the Megapack
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Tesla
What happened
On New Year's Day 2023, a fire broke out in a Tesla Megapack battery unit mounted on a trailer, used as a mobile Supercharger at a charging station in Baker, California. Witnesses, including electric vehicle owners charging at the busy holiday site, saw the mobile unit burn. According to onlookers, the fire affected roughly half of the site's 40 charging stalls, though photographic evidence suggested the physical damage was largely contained to the Megapack itself.
Police tape was used to cordon off a large section of the site, including nearby permanent Superchargers, as a precaution. The cause of the fire was not disclosed publicly. It was reported as one of the first known fires involving a mobile Supercharger trailer, though stationary Megapack units have caught fire before at other sites.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The cause of the fire had not been determined or disclosed at the time of reporting.
Lessons learned
- A mobile Megapack fire on a trailer can disrupt many charging stalls, so operators must set wide exclusion zones around temporary battery units.
- Mobile battery trailers need the same monitoring as fixed units because early fires can spread before crews arrive.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the fire
- Downtime at the charging station
- Cost of the damage and repairs
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-10. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
