Tesla Inc.. He said he will help police investigate a deadly accident involving a Model Y car in China earlier this month, while suggesting the incident was not caused by a malfunction.
Data taken from the car showed no evidence that the brake pedal had been applied before the accident, and video showed that the brake lights remained off, the electric car maker said in a statement. Instead, the throttle was heavily engaged in the run-up to the crash, which killed a motorcyclist and a high school student on a bicycle. Tesla said it will “actively provide any necessary assistance” to the local police investigation, which may involve a third-party investigator.
In the accident on November 5 in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, three people were also injured, including the driver. A video posted on Chinese social media showed a white Model Y driving at high speed until it crashed.
The Raoping County Public Security Bureau did not return telephone calls from Bloomberg News seeking comment.
A verified user on the Chinese Twitter platform Weibo, who posted under the caption “a member of the driver’s family”, stated that the driver lost control during the last 2.6 kilometers and that, although he had tried to brake, a technical problem must have caused the accident.
Although it is estimated that hundreds of people are killed every day on Chinese roads, accidents involving Teslas are arousing great interest among the public, as the images quickly go viral on social media.
In a protest that garnered international attention, a Model 3 owner climbed into a display vehicle at last year’s Shanghai auto show and screamed that she nearly died because the brakes on her Tesla failed. The American automaker, which initially enjoyed a red carpet welcome in China, has finally apologized publicly after facing criticism from local authorities and state media, without acknowledging any flaws in the car.
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