This Is Scary: Tesla Model S 'Accelerated On Its Own' And Crashed Into A River In China

Trusting autonomous technology has been a tricky task. And in case of mishaps, whose word will you trust? The driver's explanation or the car's internal data?

The argument takes a strong turn in some specific events, like this one: a Tesla Model S owner in China recently crashed his vehicle into a river. Now what¡¯s particularly interesting is that the driver is blaming the vehicle for it, saying that it accelerated on its own as he tried to apply the brakes.

The mishap took place on Wednesday, as the aforementioned Tesla Model S went through a fence and plunged into a river next to the Tesla Qingpu District Supercharger in Shanghai. The owner, identified as Xiao Chen, said that he was pulling out of the Supercharger station when the unintended acceleration took over.

Meanwhile in China, Tesla owner accidentally drives Model S into the river at the Supercharger Station. local media coverage? (Part 3)#Tesla #TeslaChina #TeslaCrash #China $TSLA #ÌØ˹À­ pic.twitter.com/6nA2ASxKJa

¡ª JayinShanghai (@ShanghaiJayin) March 6, 2019

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Fortunately, the driver and the passenger were able to get out in time, as the car had only hit the shallow end of the river. A report by the Chinese media mentions that Chen was shook by the accident, saying ¡°I was from the beginning stepping on the brakes, and the car suddenly rushed out of control!¡± He mentions that he kept driving very slowly, stepping on the brakes, but when he got there (the Supercharger station), the car went out of his control.

The local media mentions that Tesla is investigating the case.

Cases of unintended acceleration have taken place before. Over the years, several Tesla vehicles have been recorded to ram into silly obstacles like a building and the common notion in these mishaps as per the owners is that the vehicles accelerated on their own. Considering the self-driving technology is just a software at its core, the possibility cannot entirely be ruled out.

Twitter/ Jayin Shanghai

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In almost every analysis, however, experts have blamed pedal misapplication for such events. It is highly likely that the human driver makes a mistake than the system make one. And logically, several arguments can be given for this. Pedal misapplication is common in autonomous or other vehicles alike and can take place fairly easily, especially when you only have two pedals and both are controlled by only one foot.

And if you were to focus on the claims of the drivers involved in these mishaps, take into consideration that an accident is mostly followed by an insurance claim, which is nullified in many of the scenarios wherein the driver is to be blamed. So taking such a blame upon yourself is not a very attractive move at the time.

But just in case there was any such fault with the self-driving Teslas earlier, Tesla has already addressed the issue with a feature in its V9 autopilot system through an OTA update earlier. Obstacle-Aware Acceleration, as the feature is called, limits the acceleration of the vehicle if any obstacle is detected in front of the car.

Whether the feature was active in the car under question here is unknown. But even if it was not, the question still remains valid, and a mystery. Who was responsible for the crash? Was it the self driving system in the Tesla Model S? Or was the driver at fault and blamed the autonomous tech in his delusional state? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.