Tesla is aware of the accident and the company will share the results of its investigation with the public as soon as they’re available, according to a statement published by the firm. They say the driver was killed after his vehicle collided with a tree outside Amsterdam. Part of the vehicle’s battery had broken off and caught fire, while the rest of the battery was still in the auto. The forces involved nearly completely removed the front end of the vehicle, causing trouble for the firefighters, as there was no front axle in place and four tires on the ground – so they were unsure how to operate the wreck to recover the body without being electrocuted.
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A 53-year-old man died Wednesday after his Tesla Model S crashed into a tree and burst into flames on a highway about 25 miles south of Amsterdam.
During that May 2016 incident, the Tesla Model S’ Autopilot was not able to detect the incoming truck, thus allowing the auto to crash underneath the trunk. She says the company is working with investigators and that the autopilot feature would form part of that inquiry.
Tesla has announced a few more details surrounding the recent fatal Model S accident in the Netherlands.
Tesla said in the beginning it was looking at the data to determine if Autopilot was engaged during the crash, however, the automaker now says the logs from the Model S show Autopilot was not activated at any time during the trip.
Furthermore, one of Tesla’s representatives said that the company is deeply saddened by what happened.
The system allows the vehicle to automatically change lanes, manage speed and brake to avoid a collision.
Tesla is also probing an incident in France in August when a Model S sedan caught fire during a test drive in the southwestern town of Bayonne.
Tesla has cautioned that the system, introduced past year, is not fully autonomous and drivers should be at the wheel and ready to take control.
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U.S. federal regulators also recorded two fires involving the Model S, one each in the states of Washington and Tennessee in 2013. Mobileye, which makes driver-assistance systems, is trading near a 50.28 buy point as it racks up autonomous vehicle alliances.
