The Paris-based taxi company G7, which is known to be operating one of the largest Tesla taxi fleets in the entire world, has just announced that they will be suspending all Model 3 taxis after reports of a severe fatal crash that recently occurred.
Tesla Model 3 Involved in Fatal Accident
According to the story by Engadget, the fatal crash took place when one of the drivers was using a Model 3 taxi as a personal vehicle in Paris. The driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle and hit a cyclist.
The incident happened on Dec. 11 and injured a number of pedestrians before the Tesla Model 3 finally crashed into a van.
The accident has lead to one death as well injuries among 20 people. Three of the injured are in critical condition as of press time.
The driver of the Tesla Model 3, who was not hurt in the crash, said that a technical issue made the vehicle accelerate by itself.
Taxi Company G7 Uses Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model S
The taxi company G7 announced that it has suspended all of its drivers using the Tesla Model 3 over fear of the issue, according to a statement published on Le Figaro.
It was said in the statement that G7 decided to suspend 37 drivers who are using the same Tesla model as a precautionary measure.
G7 is also operating a fleet of 50 Tesla Model S vehicles. Thhese models are to remain in service despite the suspension of drivers using the Model 3.
Other Tesla Incidents Result in 127 Claims
Tesla France addressed the issue by saying that there has not been any indication that a technical issue took place during the accident. However, claims of Tesla vehicles suddenly accelerating are not new.
In 2020, another report by Engadget stated that the NHTSA or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was looking into certain claims of Tesla vehicles having a defect.
This defect, according to the claims, have lead to "sudden unintended acceleration." The NTSA received a petition which cited 127 claimed incidents.
Tesla Maintains Mistake Due to Misapplication of the Pedal
Per the statement, a number of claims regarding sudden unintended acceleration which involved Tesla vehicles have been publicized over the years.
To add, the most publicized one as of the moment imvolves a South Korean celebrity saying his Model X suddenly accelerated on its own inside his garage.
In every case, however, Tesla still claims that the car's loc shows that the error was a mistake on the part of the user due to misapplication of the pedal. This basically means that Tesla is claiming that the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes itself.
Tesla Says Petition was Started by TSLA Short Seller
After the NHTSA investigation, Tesla gave a statement which claimed that there are no defects in its vehicle that has resulted in unintended acceleration. The car company also said that the petition made with NHTSA started from a TSLA short seller.
Similar investigations, however, are also being faced by Tesla in China.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
