Tesla is cooperating in a police investigation into a crash of one of its cars in China. There are rumors that the vehicle ran amok, but according to the manufacturer that is not true.
Images of the accident drew attention last week. A video shows the car, a Model Y SUV, suddenly accelerates considerably in the town of Chaozhou in the southern province of Guangdong. After colliding with several other vehicles, the Tesla car skids and crashes into a pole. A motorcyclist and a cycling student were killed in the mad ride.
It is rumored that the driver was not in control of the vehicle during the drive. The brake would not have responded. Based on data that Tesla can read from the car in question, the company states that the driver did not try to brake at all. However, he would have pressed the accelerator pedal firmly.
Accidents involving Teslas are getting a lot of attention in China. Earlier there were already stories about faltering brakes. Last year at the Shanghai auto show, a Model 3 owner climbed onto the roof of a Tesla and shouted that she had nearly died because her car’s brakes failed. Tesla eventually apologized, but did not admit that there was anything wrong with its cars.
