Tesla employee was killed in a car accident driving a Model 3, Musk: That car did not have FSD

Is autonomous driving a blessing or a curse for humans?

Recently, according to the Washington Post, a Tesla employee was suspected of using FSD but had a fatal accident, and the employee was also suspected of drunk driving at the time of the incident.

According to the report, the fatal accident occurred in the United States in 2022. Tesla employee Hans von Ohain and friend Erik Rossiter drive a Tesla Model 3 to play golf outside Denver, Colorado.

On the return drive, von Ohain used the FSD beta, Tesla's driver assistance system that takes over all driving control, but the driver needs to keep their hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any time. A few hours later, a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a tree and exploded into flames, killing von Ohain.

In response to this incident, Musk immediately posted a response on the X platform: "This employee did not turn on FSD at that time, and the car did not download FSD software at all, if FSD was turned on, this accident may not happen." ”

After the car accident was reported by the media, it caused a lot of discussion. Dispatch records from 911 show that Rossiter, who survived the accident, said that "at the time of the accident, Tesla employee von Ohain was using Tesla's autopilot function" and that "the vehicle went straight off the road". Rossiter also said he and Tesla employee Hans von Ohain played 21 holes of golf and drank alcohol during the day before driving home. "von Ohain looked calm and not drunk at all". Moreover, while the vehicle was in motion, the FSD Beta steered several times. The statement of Rossiter, a survivor of the accident, has sparked a public debate about the safety of Tesla's self-driving system.

In a recent interview, Rossiter said he believes von Ohain is using FSD. If what Rossiter said is true, this will be the first known fatal accident case involving Tesla FSD.

In addition, according to the police autopsy report on von Ohain, he died with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.26, more than three times the local legal limit. Colorado police determined: Drunkenness was the main factor behind the accident. However, the police have also launched a relevant investigation into the possible role of Tesla's FSD Beta.

Nora Bass, the widow of von Ohain, believes that Tesla is responsible for her husband's death: "No matter how drunk he was, Musk claimed that the car could drive itself and was better than humans. We have been betrayed by a false sense of security. ”

Previously, according to CNBC in the United States, after an unmanned Tesla crashed into a tree and caught fire in Texas, USA, killing 2 people, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's response was also: the accident vehicle did not turn on the automatic driving system. “...... The data logs recovered so far show that the Autopilot system was not turned on and that the car did not purchase the Full Self-Driving System (FSD). In addition, standard autopilot systems require lane markings to open, and this (incidental) street does not have lane markings. ”

Last year, the California Highway Patrol said on July 18 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was conducting a "special investigation" into a fatal recent accident in South Lake Tahoe, California. The vehicle involved was a 2018 Tesla Model 3 that collided head-on with a 2013 Subaru Impreza when Tesla vehicles were suspected of relying on its autopilot assistance system.

While Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) is still in beta, users can regularly update it over-the-air to add driver assistance features. Musk has repeatedly said that Tesla's FSD will soon achieve L5 autonomous driving.

Musk has repeatedly said publicly that Tesla's electric cars are "the safest cars on the road." However, there are also many voices opposing the promotion of FSD. On urban roads, consumers don't want to use FSD, driving on highways, FSD and Autopilot are no different. At present, Tesla's own software and hardware and ecology are not designed for L4 autonomous driving.

Tram Circle Observations:

Currently, more than 400,000 Teslas in the United States and Canada are installed with FSD. However, in the past year, the capital market has been hot with general-purpose large models and generative AI, and the driverless technology track seems to be relatively deserted, not only Tesla's self-driving technology, but the entire industry is currently bearish. In addition, FSD and similar products currently have almost "zero value-added" for vehicles when trade-in. If you're selling your car, FSD and other similar products are depreciating by 74%, which is much faster than the value of the vehicle itself.