Topline
A fiery and fatal crash initially believed to have involved a self-driving Tesla did not occur when the car was Autopilot, according to investigators, casting doubt on the original account that sent Tesla stock into a downspin and cost CEO Elon Musk nearly $6 billion.
A Tesla model S sits parked outside of a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, ... [+]
Key Facts
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Tesla crash just outside of Houston last month indicates that while the 2019 Model S was equipped with Autopilot, Tesla’s signature advanced driver assistance system, it was not being used during the collision.
Autopilot can only be engaged by drivers when a Tesla's Traffic Aware Cruise Control and the Autosteer functions are already in use, and tests done by NTSB show Autosteer would have not been available on the part of the road where the car crashed.
Police concluded during the initial investigation that no one had been steering the car because one victim was found sat in the front passenger seat while the other was found in the back, but security camera footage unearthed by the NTSB shows the vehicle’s owner entering the car through the driver’s seat door.
Reports of the April collision sent Tesla shares crashing amid public speculation the car’s self-driving feature may have been involved, and Musk’s own fortune was slashed $6 billion in the fallout of falling stocks.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The Tesla’s 59-year-old owner and a 69-year-old passenger were both killed after they left a residence and drove less than 600 feet before going off the road ahead of a sharp cul-de-sac curve. They proceeded to hit a curb, a drainage culvert, a raised manhole and then a tree, according to the preliminary report. The car then caught on fire, and according to first responders on the scene, the fire took four hours to put out. Local police made a call to Tesla for help with extinguishing the blaze after the car’s batteries kept reigniting. Tesla has faced scrutiny over the safety of its Autopilot function before. Between December 2019 and January 2020, self-driving technology was involved in at least three separate car crashes that left three people dead.
Further Reading
Two Killed In Tesla Crash With No Driver At The Wheel (Forbes)
Elon Musk’s Fortune Falls Nearly $6 Billion After Tesla Crash Leaves Two Dead (Forbes)
