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Changes in driving habits can be dangerous.
Written by: CH_ Chen Han
Last week, another Tesla "sudden acceleration + brake failure" accident attracted everyone's attention on the Internet.
According to the owner's own account, it was on the airport highway at the time, "the car suddenly accelerated to 170 miles, and then the brakes failed (Note: the "mai" here should be misused, the actual unit should be km/h), hit four cars, and finally opened the airbag to retrieve a life." ”
At the same time, the owner said that he was a thirty-year-old driver and could not have been stepping on the accelerator for nearly a kilometer.
"Finally believing that Tesla's rights defenders are real."
As for the description of the details of the accident at that time, the owner said:
"Without any warning, suddenly the car accelerated, and I said what happened to the car? Started to step on the brakes, usually Tesla brakes are very hard, but at that time it was very soft, there was no reaction. ”
Judging from the owner's description, the double failure of the power system and the braking system occurred in the vehicle at that time, causing the vehicle to lose control, which was the cause of the accident. Although theoretically, the probability of the two most important systems on the vehicle with the highest safety redundancy failing at the same time is almost equal to 0, the owner's description does not look like lying.
So, what exactly was sent at that time?
Let's take a look at the two dashcam videos uploaded by the owner.
01
Out of control or misoperation?
Tesla front camera footage
Judging from the footage recorded by Tesla's own driving recorder, the vehicle suddenly swung to the left while overtaking the large truck to the right, and then began to accelerate continuously. The driver in the middle had several steering avoidance maneuvers, but the acceleration of the vehicle did not stop, not only rubbing the left guardrail, but also crashing a new Wei Pai tank 300 car that was not yet licensed into the turn. After the Tesla front cover was lifted and lifted, it continued to accelerate.
Just by watching the video, you can feel that the situation at that time was indeed quite thrilling! The speed soared all the way, far exceeding the surrounding vehicles in just a few seconds, and the top-rotor tank 300 also appeared effortless, and Tesla's powerful power caused a greater psychological burden on the occupants of the car at this time.
Tesla rear camera footage
Just when there was a lot of discussion on the Internet about the cause of the accident, expecting Tesla to release the EDR traffic recorder data of the accident vehicle, the owner suddenly changed his mouth to admit to "misoperation". According to its explanation, if the misoperation is not admitted, it will not be possible to go to the vehicle insurance claim. Because from a legal point of view, if the vehicle failure causes an accident, the user can only claim from the manufacturer, and the owner does not want to spend time and energy with Tesla to fight a lawsuit.
At this point, this incident has come to an end, the truth is the vehicle out of control or the owner of the operation? We may never be able to get objective data to confirm it.
However, this is not the first accident in which the owner claims that Tesla "sudden acceleration + brake failure", similar accidents have occurred at home and abroad.
At the beginning of last year, the US NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) investigated 246 Tesla "sudden acceleration" accidents complained about by consumers, but the final conclusion was:
"The evidence suggests that the SUA (sudden accidental acceleration) collision in the complaint cited by the petitioner was caused by a misuse of the pedal. There is no evidence that any fault in the accelerator pedal assembly, motor control system or braking system caused any of the above accidents. There is also no evidence that design factors increase the likelihood of pedal misuse. ”
As a reference, back to the accident that just happened in China, we have to wonder whether the owner has misoperated, that is, we often say that "the throttle is the brake"?
And while NHTSA made it clear that "there is no evidence that design factors increase the likelihood of pedal misuse," did Tesla's "single-pedal mode" lead to an increase in the "throttle as brake" situation? The topic was rekindled.
02
Should the "single pedal mode" be backed?
The first thing to emphasize is that the "single pedal mode" is not only a pedal, the vehicle using the "single pedal mode" still has a brake pedal and an acceleration pedal, but when driving every day, the acceleration and braking control required for most cases can be achieved by stepping down and lifting the accelerator pedal.
Specifically, in the past, when we drove a fuel vehicle, there was a power to step on the accelerator pedal vehicle, and the vehicle entered the taxiing state when the accelerator pedal was released, and the vehicle would quickly decelerate only when the brake pedal was pressed. Electric vehicles through the use of motor anti-drag to achieve kinetic energy recovery, when releasing the accelerator pedal can also produce braking force to achieve rapid deceleration of the vehicle, so only rely on the opening and closing of the accelerator pedal can control the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, only in an emergency, when the braking force generated by the release of the accelerator pedal is insufficient, it is necessary to step on the brake pedal.
In fact, the "single pedal mode" is not a new product, and there is already a "single pedal mode" on the BMW i3 released 10 years ago. What's controversial about Tesla is that it was the first to eliminate the kinetic energy recovery shutdown function, resulting in new users having to drive the vehicle in full or most of the time using "single-pedal mode".
Note: Strict sense of the "single pedal mode" refers to the mode that can control the vehicle braking until it stops with the accelerator pedal, Tesla did not force the user to use the "single pedal mode" in the strict sense, but due to the strong kinetic energy recovery, under daily circumstances, when the user drives the Tesla, it is generally used to release the accelerator pedal to brake, at this time the vehicle is in a broad sense of the "single pedal mode" state, the "single pedal mode" in the article mainly refers to the pedal use mode in this state.
"Single pedal mode" has its good side, for the vehicle, it can increase the frequency and intensity of kinetic energy recovery of the vehicle, thereby increasing the mileage; and for the user, the "single pedal mode" is actually a more convenient driving mode, reducing the frequency of use of the brake, the right foot does not need to move frequently between the two pedals, after getting used to it is more relaxed. In addition, the "single pedal mode" is good for reducing brake wear and tear, as well as improving the braking performance of the vehicle in emergency situations.
That's right, you read that right, "single pedal mode" is good for emergency braking!
Imagine that when you find that you need emergency braking, the moment when you quickly transfer your foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal, even if it is only a few tenths of a second, the vehicle using the "single pedal mode" already has a braking force before stepping on the brake, so it is good for the advance of the braking intervention time and shortening the braking distance.
Of course, the premise of achieving this effect is that you have not stepped on the wrong pedal.
But the most controversial thing about the "single pedal mode" is that it changes the driving habits of users and may lead to an increase in the number of cases of pedaling the wrong pedal.
The use of "single pedal mode" inevitably increases the time that the driver's right foot stays on the accelerator pedal, which is undoubtedly a subversion of traditional driving habits. For some novice drivers, this may lead to a stress response that cannot form an emergency brake that needs to be stepped on, and for some old drivers who have just turned from a fuel vehicle, it may lead to confusion in judgment in an emergency.
At the same time, in the case of distraction, accident, and stress response, people have a certain probability of straightening their legs, such as turning around to go to the back of the line during driving, or being frightened by unexpected situations on the road, etc. At this time, using the "single pedal mode", the right foot stays on the acceleration pedal for a long time, which may lead to an increase in the situation of unexpected acceleration. The characteristics of electric vehicles with strong acceleration ability may lead to greater panic among drivers in this case, further increasing the possibility of pedal misuse.
Of course, the above analysis is completely based on our daily driving habits and driving scenarios to get the rationality of the analysis, in the era of fuel vehicles, "throttle as the brake" case is not uncommon, there is no objective data to prove that the use of "single pedal mode" will lead to more "throttle as the brake" events.
03
Changes in driving habits should not be enforced
After the "brake failure" rights protection incident that was boiling at the Shanghai Auto Show last year, Tao Lin, tesla's global vice president, said in an interview with the media: "Consumer education may be strengthened", which has been on the hot search by netizens and caused huge controversy.
Although I do not agree with Tesla's attitude of handling problems at that time, I still agree with the phrase "strengthening consumer education" and promoting the "single-pedal model".
As mentioned earlier, the "single pedal mode" is not useless, it also has a good side. People who are accustomed to the "single pedal mode" should all recognize that it brings a better driving experience, more in line with people's intuition, and a well-tuned single pedal mode is easy to adapt to, which is also good for reducing driving fatigue.
Therefore, we should not completely reject it because of the choking on food, because of the possible hidden dangers of the "single pedal mode". However, the promotion of "single pedal mode" has subverted the previous driving habits, and should also bring driving education that keeps pace with the times. Therefore, whether it is in the driving school or when the car manufacturer promotes and sells the vehicle, the education related to the "single pedal mode" should be strengthened to help users recognize the potential risks and form correct use habits and stress responses.
However, this does not mean that I agree with Tesla's new car kinetic energy recovery can not be closed.
Although Tesla did not force users to make changes, the old model still retains the kinetic energy recovery shutdown function, and the new user has the right to refuse to buy because the kinetic energy recovery cannot be closed, from a legal point of view, even if it leads to "the throttle as a brake", Tesla is not responsible.
However, for some people who have identified Tesla or do not have a clear understanding of their own driving skills, adaptability, psychological quality or vehicle driving experience, this may still lead to them buying Tesla and not forming the correct driving habits, thus forming a safety hazard.
In short, it will not be a bad thing to let users choose the driving mode that suits them and not change their driving habits.
For those who have purchased Tesla, but are worried about "sudden acceleration" or "brake failure", the first thing to emphasize is that the probability of similar events is actually very, very low; secondly, if you are a novice driver, it is recommended to find a safe closed place to practice heavy braking emergency braking, familiar with the feeling of stepping on the brakes in an emergency to avoid danger; finally, you can also install a driving recorder in the pedal position, in case of problems, you can get video evidence at the first time.
"There are thousands of roads, safety is the first!"
I wish you all peace and well!
Today's topic
Will you use single pedal mode?
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