An electric Tesla Semi truck has been involved in its first fatal traffic accident. The crash occurred in the US state of Nevada, where the truck rammed into several vehicles, killing two people. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
On the morning of June 28, a Tesla Semi on a highway near Dayton plowed into cars stopped at a traffic light. A couple in a Volkswagen Beetle died at the scene. Another person was seriously injured and hospitalized.
Police preliminary theory suggests the truck driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Unlike Tesla's passenger cars, the Semi truck is not officially equipped with the Full Self-Driving system. Therefore, according to available data, the driver was operating the vehicle manually.
It remains unknown what electronic assistants were installed on the truck involved in the crash. Tesla previously stated that the Semi would receive automatic emergency braking and enhanced autopilot, but the company has not disclosed the exact equipment configuration of production vehicles.
Less than two weeks ago in Texas, a Tesla Model 3 with Full Self-Driving crashed through a residential wall. The driver claimed the electronics were in control, but an investigation showed he had fully pressed the accelerator before the collision, disabling the assistance system. He was later charged with manslaughter.
Now investigators must determine the cause of the first fatal accident involving an electric Tesla truck.
Earlier, Kursiv Avto reported that Tesla proved more durable than Subaru, BMW, and Audi.