Tesla’s Autopilot feature and fires associated with electric vehicle batteries involved in crashes have been questioned again with a fatal accident that killed two men on Saturday night in Woodlands, Texas, north of Houston.
The Tesla crashed into a tree, leading to the deaths of the two men, one man seated in the back seat and the other in the front passenger seat.
A preliminary investigation by Harris County Precinct 5 constables showed there was no one at the wheel at the time of the crash. Emergency responders took four hours to put out the fire that engulfed the Tesla, according to a constable’s comments to the Wall Street Journal.
High voltage lithium-ion batteries used in EVs can reignite after being damaged even after firefighters extinguish a blaze, the National Transportation Safety Board reported last year after its investigation of three EV crashes resulting in fires in Lake Forest and Mountain View, Calif., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Investigators over the weekend were trying to determine if the vehicle’s advanced drive-assistance system, known as Autopilot, was in operation at the time of the crash. Tesla did not comment early Monday.
The National High Traffic Safety Administration issued a statement Monday that it has launched a special crash investigation team to investigate the crash and is actively working with Tesla and local law enforcement to learn more about the details involved. NHTSA will take appropriate steps when it has more information, the agency said.
Tesla says on its website that autopilot features “require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.” Autopilot enables a car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane. Tesla is also rolling out full self-driving capability for future cars.
Tesla founder and technoking Elon Musk on Saturday tweeted that when Autopilot is engaged, there is a 10 times lowered chance of an accident than with an average vehicle.
In the first quarter, Tesla registered one accident for every 4.19 million driven in which drivers engaged Autopilot, according to a Tesla safety report.
NHSTA has three consumer alerts for recalls of several EVs for fire risk, urging owners to par their vehicles outside until they are repaired. The alerts are related to 2021 GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express, Hyundai and Geneis and Kia Sportage and Cadenza.
General Motors is working to develop a software solution to put Chevrolet Bolt EVs back in service after a recall.
EV battery fires pose a challenge to the Biden administration plans to ramp up EV production and charging stations.
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