Fiery Tesla Crash Being Investigated by Feds

April 21, 2021 by Tom Ramstack
Fiery Tesla Crash Being Investigated by Feds
Tesla headquarters in Palo Alto. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Two federal agencies are investigating the fatal crash of a Tesla car on Saturday near Houston that burned for four hours as firefighters poured about 32,000 gallons of water on it.

Local police said they are certain no one was behind the wheel when the self-driving vehicle missed a curve and slammed into a tree.

The burned bodies of two men were found inside the car, one in the back seat and the other in the front passenger seat.

The fire that erupted from the car’s large lithium-ion battery left only the charred and melted remnant of a vehicle to be towed away.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are trying to determine whether the car was operating on Tesla’s autopilot driver-assist system or its full self-driving capability.

The autopilot system can control the vehicle but still needs a driver behind the wheel to correct for possible deviations from acceptable roadway navigation.

The newer full self-driving capability is supposed to be close to a fully autonomous, or driverless, means of operating a vehicle. Tesla still recommends that drivers monitor operation of the vehicles.

In January, the NHTSA announced it was expanding its program for automated vehicles, from a pilot program to an initiative intended to move the technology to wider implementation on the nation’s roadways.

Until January, nine states and nine companies participated in the pilot program. Now, 52 companies, governments and associations are participating.

Officials from the federal agencies say they are interested in the Spring, Texas, crash to determine what it could mean for the future of driverless technology and electric vehicles.

“We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information,” a NHTSA statement said.

On Sunday, Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announced a new safety report from the company showed its vehicles using autopilot were nearly 10 times less likely to crash than vehicles driven only by humans.

Nevertheless, the company is under close scrutiny by federal regulators after several high-profile accidents.

They included cars hitting highway barriers, stopped emergency vehicles and tractor trailers that crossed in front of them.

The NTSB has recommended that Tesla be required to limit the roads on which driverless technology can be used safely and to install systems that monitor whether drivers are paying attention.

Investigators are trying to get warrants to seize information about the latest crash. They have not said whether part of the information would be seized at Tesla’s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.

Portions of the investigation focus on whether the Tesla technology recognized the hazard created by a bend in the road and tree ahead. The collision occurred at a high rate of speed, police said.

The crash also is raising questions about the similarities to a May 7, 2016 Tesla Model S crash in Williston, Fla., in which the car’s technology failed to recognize an 18-wheel tractor trailer crossing in front of it.

The car drove straight into the tractor trailer without applying its brakes, killing the driver.

Tesla explained in a statement after an investigation that “neither autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor-trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.” 

Shares of Tesla Inc. fell 3.6% on the first day of trading after the wreck on Saturday. Otherwise, the company’s stock value is up 370% in the past year.

A+
a-
  • National Transportation safety Board
  • Tesla
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Transportation

    March 20, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    White House Unveils Sweeping Rules to Speed Switch to Cleaner Cars

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of electric and hybrid vehicles by placing new restrictions on tailpipe emissions. According to administration officials, who briefed reporters on the new rules during a conference call... Read More

    February 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    House Republicans Raise Questions About EV Charger Program

    WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising questions about the implementation of the Biden administration’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising questions about the implementation of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle charger subsidy program. In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a trio of Republican lawmakers led by Committee... Read More

    EPA Approves Year-Round Sales of Higher Ethanol Blend in Eight Midwest States

    DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a higher blend of... Read More

    DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a higher blend of ethanol throughout the year under a final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The biofuels industry and farming groups, with support of Midwest governors, sought... Read More

    February 6, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    FAA Administrator Grilled in Congress Over Aviation Safety Lapses

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration’s new administrator pledged more aggressive safety oversight during a congressional hearing Tuesday to avoid... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration’s new administrator pledged more aggressive safety oversight during a congressional hearing Tuesday to avoid disasters like the near-miss last month aboard an Alaska Airlines flight. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said the watchdog agency is shifting to a strategy that anticipates... Read More

    January 29, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    ExxonMobil Drilling First Lithium Well in Arkansas

    SPRING, Texas — ExxonMobil has begun drilling its first lithium well in southwest Arkansas, an area known to be rich... Read More

    SPRING, Texas — ExxonMobil has begun drilling its first lithium well in southwest Arkansas, an area known to be rich in the soft, silvery white metal, with an eye toward becoming a leading supplier for electric vehicles by 2030. Lithium is essential to the production of... Read More

    Cold Hard Facts: Winter EV Charging Woes Prove Need for Consumer Choice and Smarter Policy

    In the United States, transportation accounts for close to 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, if we’re going to achieve our... Read More

    In the United States, transportation accounts for close to 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, if we’re going to achieve our carbon reduction targets, addressing and solving the problems associated with transportation sector-based carbon emissions is imperative. It has also been quite cold across the country and... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top