The first fatal Tesla crash happened in 2016. The accident took place after a US citizen put his Model S into Tesla’s autopilot mode. The car’s sensors failed to detect an approaching 18-wheel truck, leading to an accident that caused the death of the driver.
At the time, the company said, “Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert.” Since then, experts have raised questions about the safety of automated driving systems and called for stricter laws, as Tesla faces a lawsuit. This has especially been targeted at Tesla, as the company tests and trains its vehicles on public roads.
With Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, Tesla recalls have also prompted conversation about whether he has too much on his plate.
Tesla Crashes and the Aftermath
Although the 2016 incident was the first, not much has changed in the past few years. In June 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released data that showed that Tesla crashes made up nearly 70% of accidents involving advanced driver assistance systems.
In recent times, Federal officials have closely monitored Tesla cars, conducting investigations and issuing public admonishments regarding its autopilot features.
According to recently released government data on vehicles using automated driving systems, 11 people were killed in accidents involving automated driver assistance systems in the US, during a four-month period in early 2022. The NHTSA noted that Tesla has over 830,000 vehicles on the road with these systems.
Tesla’s Autopilot system has been under investigation by the NHTSA since 2018, after a string of crashes involving Teslas hitting emergency vehicles parked along roadways. The National Transportation Safety Board, which conducted its own investigation into the crashes, recommended that Tesla and NHTSA must limit the use of autopilot systems to areas where it can be operated safely.
On November 13, 2022, the electric car company grabbed headlines after it promised to help Chinese officials investigate a fatal Tesla crash involving Model Y cars. Local media reports stated that there were around five casualties. A family member of the driver reportedly mentioned that the 55-year-old faced issues with the car’s brake pedals.
In the past, Tesla has been accused of faulty brake systems in China. It remains to be seen how much access Tesla will allow Beijing, as the US works to throttle China’s technological advancement. In October, the current administration imposed strict sanctions that prohibited the sale of advanced chips and chip-making equipment. The US sanctions on tech imports were first applied to Nvidia and AMD.
The US sanctions on China come after almost a year of Beijing’s crackdown on tech companies as it sought greater access to confidential data and day-to-day operations in the country. The US government had earlier warned Beijing Olympics 2022 returnees to be careful of cybersecurity incidents. Only time will tell how Beijing will use this position to investigate the incident. Furthermore, it does not bode well for Tesla as its history of crashes could well work against it.
Tesla Recalls Over 40,000 Vehicles in the US
The electric car manufacturer issued a voluntary recall of over 40,000 cars from the Model S and Model X variant over a software defect. The Tesla recall has been attributed to a defect that can cut or reduce power steering assistance when the car mistakes potholes and bumps for steering assist torque.
While the company has now released a software update to correct the error, as Tesla recalls cars experts have raised questions about the vehicles’ safety features. The company said that so far the error has not been the cause of any accidents or deaths.
This is not the first Tesla recall of 2022. The company has issued 17 recall notices covering around 3.4 million vehicles this year. In September, Tesla recalls were issued because the windows might close too fast and injure people.
As Tesla recalls cars, the company’s critics have panned the company for being lax with EV safety.
The Autopilot System
The latest report by the carmaker revealed that as of November 14, 2022, there have been 320 deaths involving Tesla cars and Tesla Autopilot deaths stand at 15.
The company previously released a statement which said, “We collect the amount of miles traveled by each vehicle with Autopilot active or in manual driving, based on available data we receive from the fleet, and do so without identifying specific vehicles to protect privacy. We also receive a crash alert anytime a crash is reported to us from the fleet, which may include data about whether Autopilot was active at the time of impact. To ensure our statistics are conservative, we count any crash in which Autopilot was deactivated within 5 seconds before impact, and we count all crashes in which the incident alert indicated an airbag or other active restraint deployed. (Our crash statistics are not based on sample data sets or estimates.) In practice, this correlates to nearly any crash at about 12 mph (20 kph) or above, depending on the crash forces generated. On the other hand, police-reported crashes from government databases are notoriously under-reported, by some estimates as much as 50%, in large part because most minor crashes (like “fender benders”) are not investigated. We also do not differentiate based on the type of crash or fault. (For example, more than 35% of all Autopilot crashes occur when the Tesla vehicle is rear-ended by another vehicle.) In this way, we are confident that the statistics we share unquestionably show the benefits of Autopilot.”
Tesla has continued to maintain that its Autopilot systems, which require human monitoring, are built to enhance road safety. On autopilot systems, the NHTSA admits that the technology holds great promise but needs to be evaluated on how they perform in real-life situations.
Musk’s Twitter Takeover and Burnout
The automaker’s dismal performance has caught the eye of investors and had a detrimental effect on Tesla stocks. They are also worried that after the acquisition of Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is less focused on his other companies. On November 14, 2022, Tesla stock hovered around $195, lower than its June 2021 performance.
When asked about how the Twitter takeover has affected his work life, Musk admitted that he has been working seven days a week, from morning to night. In a video link for a business conference, he confessed, “I have too much work on my plate that is for sure,” something investors and analysts have suspected for a while now.
After acquiring Twitter for $44 billion, Musk has been focused on molding the social media company to his vision, although he has not elaborated much, by firing over 50% of staff and trying to change the way the company operates. Twitter has faced a tumultuous time as Musk fired key executives and tried to get users to pay a $8 monthly fee for the blue tick.
Opening the blue checkmark to anyone willing to pay a fee has stained Musk’s takeover as the platform witnessed a surge in misinformation by netizens who paid the fee and used the tick to their advantage. Impersonators targeted everyone from prominent politicians to established companies. In a passing reference to all the criticism that came his way after this debacle, Musk said that there is no way to make everyone happy on the platform. Perhaps, the strongest criticism came by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) who called Musk out for his lackadaisical attitude.
Take Responsibility or Face the Music, Warns US Senator
The verbal war started on November 12 after Musk took to Twitter to mock the senator’s concerns about the misuse of the new $7.99 per month Twitter Blue with verification subscription. Markey called on Twitter for an explanation on what has happened and how the company will prevent it from happening again.
Instead of offering solutions, Musk chose to poke fun at the senator’s account saying it “sounds like a parody” while also asking why he is wearing a mask in his profile picture.
Senator Ed Markey did not take too kindly to Musk’s attempt at humor, calling attention to Tesla crashes and recalls. “One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online,” wrote the senator. “Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”
While the senator’s concerns are not unfounded it comes close on the heels of a lean period for Tesla. Despite high sales, Tesla stock has fallen as investors worry that Musk is obsessed with Twitter, to the point of neglecting his other companies, especially Tesla.
