A Model 3 taxi in Paris had a fatal crash Tesla said it was not caused by a technical failure

On December 14, local time, G7, one of Europe's largest taxi companies, said that it would temporarily suspend the remaining Model 3 taxis in the fleet after a major accident caused by a Tesla Model 3 in the 13th arrondissement of Paris last weekend.

According to the Paris police, on the evening of the 11th, a Tesla Model 3 taxi lost control during the driving process, hitting pedestrians, bicycles, trucks and damaging traffic lights and other facilities. In total, 1 person was killed and 20 injured, 3 of whom were seriously injured.

According to the report, a preliminary investigation has ruled out the technical fault of the car. A G7 platform spokesman said the driver had tried to brake, but the car accelerated. It's unclear if the car was in autopilot mode at the time. Jerome Coumette, mayor of Paris' 13th arrondissement, said on social media that "the initial content of the survey suggests that the accelerator may have stuck." Tesla remotely checked the data of the vehicle that caused the accident and denied that there were any technical problems with the vehicle.

A G7 spokesperson said Tesla Model 3 owners will be fully compensated for lost revenue during the suspension of driving, and the company is looking for alternatives so that these drivers can resume driving services for the G7 as soon as possible.

The G7 said in an official statement that as a precautionary measure, the company decided to suspend the service of 37 drivers equipped with the same model, waiting for the conclusion of the police investigation. However, the rest of Tesla owners in the G7 fleet were not affected. According to the G7 official website, the company has 9,000 drivers in Paris alone as independent contractors. Half of the G7's fleet is currently hybrid or pure electric, and the company hopes to achieve pure electrification of the entire fleet by 2027.

A number of similar accidents have occurred in China and the United States before. In 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was investigating claims that Tesla Motors had flaws that caused "sudden and unexpected accelerations" after receiving a petition involving 127 claims. Tesla has long insisted that the "accidental acceleration" accident according to the car's logs was caused by a mishandling of the driver's pedal, which means the driver stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, France's transport minister, told RMC radio that he had spoken to the CEO of Tesla Europe. The latter told him that there were no security alerts about the Model 3.

Jebari also said Tesla, which collects detailed data through sensors and cameras on the vehicle, has informed him that it has provided investigators with relevant technical data.