One of the greatest races in the automobile industry right now is to launch the first self-driving car. From Tesla to Google, from Apple to Uber, a number of companies are in the fray.
Among them, Tesla’s self-driving technology is in a constant state of improvement. But actual footage often reveals that it is not quite there yet. In a video posted on reddit, a Tesla S model can be seen crashing into a barrier on the side of the road in Texas.
‘’I was driving in the left lane of a two-lane highway,” wrote the user. “The car is AP1 (first generation Autopilot) and I’ve never had any problems until today. Autopilot was on and didn’t give me a warning. It misread the road and hit the barrier. After the airbags deployed there was a bunch of smoke and my car rolled to a grinding stop. Thankfully no one was hurt and I walked away with only bruises. The road was curving right and it stayed straight. By that I mean my best guess is that the AP sensors didn’t catch the curve.”
Of course, Tesla has always maintained that theirs is an assist feature and drivers must always keep their hands on the steering wheel.
According to the auto news website, Electrek, “What potentially didn’t work is the ‘Forward Collision Warning’ feature, since the driver claims that there was no warning. Some would assume that Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) should have kicked in, but it’s actually not designed to engage if there’s an alternative and in this case, the vehicle wasn’t supposed to brake in order to avoid the barrier.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!