At least one person was killed and seven wounded when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a hotel belonging to US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas, police said on Wednesday.

The electric vehicle pulled up to the Trump International Hotel's glass entrance before a "large explosion," Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters.

Video footage shows the stainless steel truck parked at the hotel entrance before bursting into flames, followed by smaller explosions that appeared similar to fireworks.

McMahill said there was "one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck" while seven people received "minor" injuries. He said the hotel had been evacuated.

US President Joe Biden said authorities were investigating any possible link between the blast and an attack earlier Wednesday in New Orleans, in which a truck rammed a crowd, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens.

"Thus far, there's nothing to report on that score," Biden said.

Tesla chief Elon Musk said the explosion was "caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck," adding in a post on X that it was "unrelated to the vehicle itself."

Earlier, he said the "whole Tesla senior team" was investigating the blast, adding: "We've never seen anything like this."

Police said they are still working to establish the cause of the explosion.

Musk, who backed Trump in the November election and was named by the Republican to head up a commission to trim government spending, said he would post more information "as soon as we learn anything." (AFP)