ongoing investigation

Houston-area Tesla fire, fatal crash raises questions from US auto safety agency

The death apparently is the first involving the angular stainless steel-clad truck. Photo via Tesla Motors/Instagram

Federal safety authorities say they are seeking information on a crash and fire involving a Tesla Cybertruck that killed a driver of the futuristic new pickup.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it is gathering information from Tesla. The agency did not send crash investigators, nor has it opened a formal investigation into the crash. It did not say if it is investigating the cause of the fire or whether the driver was using a partially automated driving system.

Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The death apparently is the first involving the angular stainless steel-clad truck, which went on sale Nov. 30.

KHOU-TV reported that state troopers are investigating the crash, which occurred in the Baytown area of Chambers County early Monday. The truck was heading down a parkway when it left the road for an unknown reason, hit a concrete culvert and went up in flames, the station reported.

The Cybertruck was recalled twice in June to fix problems with trim pieces that can come loose and front windshield wipers that can fail. It has been recalled four times since its introduction.

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A View From HETI

Sage Geosystems has selected a site for its next major geothermal facility. Photo via sagegeosystems.com

Sage Geosystems, a Houston-based developer of geothermal power systems, has chosen a site in Nevada for its commercial-scale Project Vector facility.

The company’s two-well enhanced geothermal system (EGS) will deliver around-the-clock geothermal heat to Ormat Technologies’ Blue Mountain geothermal power plant in Winnemucca, Nevada.

The startup expects to begin drilling the first well later this year, with the first electricity to be generated in 2027 and full-scale production to start in 2028.

In the Nevada system, fluid will circulate through an engineered subsurface reservoir, absorb heat from the surrounding rock and return heat to the surface. The heat will be delivered to the Blue Mountain plant for conversion into electricity.

Project Vector builds on the performance of Sage’s SMECI facility in South Texas. That facility’s results, combined with Sage’s digital twin platform, will be used to shape to the design and development of Project Vector.

Project Vector supports Sage’s growing commercial pipeline, including a 150-megawatt geothermal power agreement with Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

“Blue Mountain is an ideal location for Sage to take the next step in continuing to commercialize our proprietary EGS approach,” Jason Peart, chief operating officer at Sage, said in a release. “By delivering geothermal heat into an existing power plant, Project Vector can demonstrate the model for bringing firm, 24/7 geothermal power to market at scale.”

Project Vector extends Sage’s relationship with Ormat.

In August 2025, Sage and Ormat agreed to accelerate commercialization of Sage’s geothermal technology at an Ormat power plant. This January, Ormat co-led Sage’s $97 million Series B funding round.

Sage, founded in 2020, has raised about $159 million across three funding rounds.

As the startup ramps up its ESG platform, Sage is targeting data centers as customers, among other large-scale users of electricity.

“The energy needs are huge, and they need it now,” CEO Cindy Taff said on Data Center Frontiers’ podcast. “They can’t depend on the grid anymore.”

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