To make the lives of people easier, Tesla has been coming up with many electric vehicles with autopilot mode making itself the best-selling battery electric passenger car manufacturer in the world. Recently, Tesla Model 3, which is now the world's best-selling electric car, made headlines after a video of it ramming into an overturned truck on a highway surfaced online. The incident has, however, sparked a debate among the people, who have been questioning the autopilot system of the sedan, which couldn't even detect such a large hindrance.
The driver, who didn't suffer injuries, has claimed that the vehicle's autopilot mode was on when the incident happened on a motorway in Taiwan. However, it is understood that he did not have the Full Self-Driving Capability feature switched on at the time of the accident.
In the 21-second clip, a pedestrian, believed to be the driver of the truck is also seen moving away as the white sedan was about to ram into the truck. Reports suggest that the driver wasn't paying much attention and couldn't apply the brake on time.
Watch Videos of Mishap From Different Angles:
Reactions of Netizens
The video has been going viral on social media, and the incident has raised concerns about the safety features of Model 3 among the netizens. While many criticize the company for the mishap saying that their vehicles cannot detect stationary objects on roads, others are of the opinion that it happened as the driver was being inattentive.
However, a few others have been sharing a similar incident that occurred in 2019 when a red Tesla Model S slammed into a Culver City firetruck on the 405 Freeway in the US even when its autopilot system was on.
According to Tesla, Model 3's rear, side, and forward-facing cameras will provide 360° visibility, while the forward-facing radar provides a long-range view of distant objects. The ultrasonic sensors can detect nearby cars and prevent potential dangers. The ultrasonic sensors can detect nearby cars and prevent potential dangers.
Nevertheless, it has to be noted that the autopilot option cannot be considered as an alternative to driving as this advanced safety and convenience features have been designed in order to assist the driver in certain troublesome situations.
