Tesla Semi's first fatal crash raises safety questions
What's the story
A Tesla Semi truck was involved in a deadly accident on Sunday, marking the first known case of a fatal crash with this electric vehicle model. The incident occurred on US Highway 50 in Nevada and resulted in two fatalities. Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver of the electric truck may have dozed off before rear-ending two passenger vehicles waiting at a red light.
Incident specifics
Crash details and victims
The crash occurred around 7:20am on Sunday, June 28. A semi-truck collided with two passenger vehicles that were stopped at a traffic signal. The couple who died in the crash has been identified as Sergio "Boo" and Jennifer Villanueva. One person from the incident was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Vehicle identification
First known fatal crash involving Tesla Semi
While local media outlets referred to the vehicle as a "semi-truck," images from the scene clearly show it was a Tesla Semi. This incident marks the first known fatal crash involving Tesla's electric semi truck. The company manufactures these vehicles at its Gigafactory Nevada, located near Sparks, about an hour away from where this accident took place.
Safety concerns
Questions raised about truck's safety systems
The cause of the crash, a driver falling asleep, raises questions about the truck's safety systems. Tesla does not offer Full Self-Driving on the Semi. This means that the driver had full manual control at that time. The incident also raises questions about why automatic emergency braking (AEB) didn't kick in to prevent this collision at a lit intersection.
Tech gap
Drowsiness detection technology in Tesla vehicles
Tesla has already integrated drowsiness detection technology into its passenger cars. The system uses a cabin-facing camera to detect yawns and blinks. However, it is not clear if this feature is available in the Semi model as well. This lack of information about the presence or absence of such a critical safety feature in the truck adds another layer to the investigation into this tragic incident.