Tesla owner in China blames Autopilot for crash
The owner of a Tesla Motors Model S sedan in China reportedly said his vehicle crashed into a car on the side of the road while the vehicle's Autopilot system was engaged, but the automaker said the driver was using the system improperly.
Luo Zhen, 33, of Beijing told Reuters that his vehicle collided with a parked car on the left side of a highway, damaging both vehicles but injuring no one. He criticized Tesla sales people for allegedly describing the vehicle as "self-driving."
"The impression they give everyone is that this is self-driving, this isn't assisted driving," he told Reuters.
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It marks the latest episode in the debate over Tesla's Autopilot system, which provides automated steering, braking and accelerating on the highway for Tesla vehicles. The system and the company's description of it have come under scrutiny after an Ohio man was killed in a crash in Florida on May 7 when his vehicle slammed into a truck despite having its Autopilot system engaged.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the Florida incident, the only one in which Tesla has confirmed Autopilot could have been a factor. Shortly after Tesla disclosed the crash in June, a Southfield, Mich., art gallery owner claimed in July that Autopilot was engaged when he crashed on a Pennsylvania Turnpike, but Tesla disputed it.
Also last month, a driver told investigating officers that he had engaged Autopilot when his Tesla crossover was involved in a crash near Whitehall, Mont. Officers said they couldn't confirm the report.
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In the new case in China, Tesla said the Model S was "following closely behind the car in front of it when the lead car moved to the right to avoid hitting the parked car."
"The driver of the Tesla, whose hands were not detected on the steering wheel, did not steer to avoid the parked car and instead scraped against its side," Tesla said Wednesday in a statement. "As clearly communicated to the driver in the vehicle, Autosteer is an assist feature that requires the driver to keep his hands on the steering wheel at all times, to always maintain control and responsibility for the vehicle, and to be prepared to take over at any time."
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Tesla refuted claims that it has described its vehicles to shoppers as a self-driving vehicle and reiterated that drivers must always be ready to retake control of the wheel. When Autopilot was rolled out, Tesla CEO Elon Musk described it as a "beta" system, one that's in test mode, and that drivers need to stay aware.
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