Days after twitter spats and numerous accounts of employee sacking, the news is not coming any better for Elon Musk’s way.
Plus, the stocks are taking a toll on it as well. Tesla might be looking to build its presence in China, but this has not been going the way they would want it.
A viral video shows a Tesla Model Y speeding recklessly on busy streets, impatiently zigzagging on the two-lane roadway.
The recent tragic incident that killed two people while a Tesla Model Y was speeding uncontrollably on streets might show that there is still room for improvement. But, there is more to the news.
Apparently, the driver of the Model Y lost control of the car and crashed into a building on the street.
Two were killed in separate collisions with the speeding EV, and the driver sustained critical injuries. The Tesla team has released a statement regarding this incident, saying they will be working with authorities to examine and get more details about what happened.
What Happened?
One Tesla Model Y crashing into a building is doing the rounds on social media, turning the attention back on the safety of autopilot or AI-driven EVs. The accident is said to have happened on November 5 2022 in Guangdong, a southern province in Chaozhou, China.
The video shows various security camera clips where initially the Tesla car is seen as if it is parking on the shoulder of the road but suddenly gets back on the street.
The video accounts for various clips where the EV speeds up on a busy street, crashing into a cyclist and other vehicles to finally come to halt while crashing into a building.
The harrowing incident left two killed, one was on a motorcyclist, and the other was a minor school girl riding on a bicycle. Moreover, the driver of the Tesla was left injured too.
According to the Chinese local media, the driver was trying to park the car but the parking button would not work, and the car kept speeding with no control over the brakes. The horrifying visuals of the car are quite disturbing as if some racing car is speeding on the busy streets instead of racing tracks. Almost like some mean racing game!
The debate and endless rumors are going on and on about how the car was driving on its own or if there is possibly something wrong with Tesla cars.
In another earlier incident, one woman protested at Shanghai Motor Show in China over a brake failure accident that she said almost took her life. Later was sued in millions by Tesla for defamation. Tesla issued an official statement to help in investigations but also mentioned that the brakes were never engaged as the parking lights are not seen on the video.
Time and again, Tesla faces accusations of brake pedal malfunctions involving several accidents over the last few years.
What Tesla Has To Say?
This is not the first time Tesla has had to go through such allegations and complaints regarding malfunctions and autopilot issues. However, this time, the incident is surely making more rounds on social media.
Tesla China has denied the claims of the driver of the Model Y regarding unresponsive brakes. Tesla claims that the data does not support the claims and shows the brakes were not applied during the 1.6 miles (approximate) terrifying drive.
Tesla reports say the vehicle stats confirm the car was in acceleration mode all through the time and the brakes were not engaged. The viral video accounts for the same, as no illuminating lights are seen in rear shots of the EV.
Tesla also mentions how only four times the “Park” button was pressed but was not pressed for enough time to be engaged. According to the EV maker, the driver needs to long press the Park button to work, which is also mentioned in the Model Y manual.
Social media unrest is hampering the image a lot more than incidents in the past. Earlier as well where the women staged protests and various brake failure incidents to negatively narrate Tesla was spreading like fire and had to issue a public apology to Tesla.
Is Tesla At Fault?
Chinese authorities are still investigating the accident, but social media excuses no one, definitely not Tesla. The accident is still under the scrutiny of a third-party and other crucial investigations.
There are numerous such accidents that happen due to brake failure or other problems. Deadly crashes and accidents involving many other famous automakers do not generate a comparable amount of social media discussions.
But, anything about Tesla gets full-throttle attention for even the tiniest things where the name of the company is involved.
The social media courtroom has come up with many reasons and causes for the fatal accident leaving two dead and three injured:
Autopilot
The biggest chunk of social media is saying things about the possibility of autopark failure or malfunction. The possible cause for the crash is claimed to be the haywire auto park mechanism of the EV.
According to these rumors, the EV was trying to park itself when all hell broke loose to run off on the busy streets.
However, the way the vehicle is seen swerving, turning, and accelerating, these do NOT point to Autopilot being in place. Moreover, if at all it was active, tapping on the pedals would have disabled the mode.
Too Strong Motor
Model performance speaks for itself and the way the video shows the vehicle moving at lightning speed approves the fact. Some posts are saying the EV motor is too strong for the brakes to overcome the high speed of the car.
However, the brake lights were not on through the video clips, and there goes the claim.
Poor Built Quality
There were many such allegations and charges against the company that even included one being the blip flip or radiation ray effect!
Strangely the automaker received the least complaints on build quality in China comparing 39 models where two BYD vehicles were in the top three in a recent survey. So there goes that accusation.
Tesla is yet to comment on the car’s black box results. We would get a much clear data analysis given the fact that Tesla records much more than just 20 seconds before and after crash data.
Bottomline
The terrifying footage of the accident showing Model Y colliding multiple times while speeding is unnerving, to say the least. However, it looks like there could possibly be a human error at fault when you actually look at it. But we cannot confirm or rule out other possibilities.
The way Model Y zooms across the whole stretch for more than 30 seconds at such high speed is harrowing. According to the driver’s family, the driver kept on hitting the pedals but said the pedals were rock solid and just would not function.
While Tesla investigate the matter with NHTSA, the rumors and assumptions would not stop the viral streams on social media.
The accident video of the EV shows clearly the brakes were not engaged, as the lights are not on when it is sideswiping through the busy Chaozhou streets.
What is really sad is two people losing their lives because of the accident!
NHTSA has warned and cautioned drivers numerous times stating that as many as 16,000 crashes and accidents in the US, happen because of driver error.
The term is real. “Pedal Application Error”.
Drivers often go into panic mode in such situations, confusing the accelerator pedals to be the brake pedals and getting into an accident.
Tesla had earlier issued an official statement regarding another crash, stating the driver did not pay enough attention to the road causing him to lose control.
Chances are there might be a similar scenario that might have caused the crash. But let’s wait for the Tesla logs and third-party investigation to come out in open with the results.
