The US National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report Tuesday on the May 7 crash that the Tesla was traveling at 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour in a zone where the limit was 65 miles per hour. The agency is still investigating all aspects of the crash. In January, Tesla did add restrictions to Autopilot so that cars can not drive faster than 5 miles above the posted speed limit on residential roads or roads without center dividers.
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In May, a Model S using the Autopilot feature was involved in a fatal crash in Williston, Fla., after a big rig made a left turn in front of the sedan.
A fan of the Tesla Model S and its Autopilot capabilities, the driver Joshua D. Brown posted more than 20 videos to YouTube that demonstrated his Tesla’s self-driving abilities.
Unlike many other manufacturers that are incorporating laser-based lidar sensors into their self-driving systems, Tesla has eschewed lidar, electing instead to focus on cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors.
Palo Alto, California-based Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Consumer Reports asked the company to rename the feature and require drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel.
But Tesla isn’t backing down, and believes autopilot is safer than traditional driving.
According to the NTSB, the system performance data was downloaded from the auto for the investigation.
The NTSB said the driver was using the advanced driver assistance features called Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer lane keeping assistance. The vehicle was also equipped with automatic emergency braking.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in his latest “master plan” last week that his company planned to make fully autonomous vehicles in the future.
The Model S slid under the right side of the semitrailer, disconnecting the battery from the motors, according to the NTSB report. The vehicle passed underneath a semi-trailer, coasted off the road 297 feet, and struck a utility pole.
The combination vehicle, operated by Okemah Express and driven by 62-year-old Frank Baressi, who owns the company, was transporting blueberries to a local produce farm.
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Brown died at the scene. While no timeline has been established, final reports are generally published 12 months after the release of a preliminary report.
