Featured Threads

A Tesla Semi was apparently returning to the Tesla giga factory in Nevada for a fresh load of cargo when the vehicle ran off the road. These electric only Semi-trucks are frequently used to ferry batteries to the Fremont factory. In this case there was no trailer on attached to the tractor.

Cal Trans spent most of the day cooling the battery pack below ignition temperatures before trying to tow it away. Elon iMusk is fond of pointing out that normal ICE sedans have fires too. I don't recall too many of them needing a day to cool down enough to transport the carcass away from the scene.

More information here: A Tesla Semi crashed and caught fire on a California highway - The Verge

Here is his experience:


I have no problem with his story. My experience:

• Full Self Driving (and AutoPilot) needs mentoring - the instruction and disclaimer are easy for new drivers to skim over. We have a term for that phenomena, RTFM (Read The Fine Manual) but the corollary is "and understand it."
• Edge case flaws - sometimes called "chasing the nines" as in 99% done, 99.9% done, 99.99% done, etc, etc. In this case:
  • Wearing glasses - the instructions point out wearing sun glasses and other glasses can revert from hands free to steering nag mode. Stien wears glasses which a mentor would point out.
  • My testing found UV protecting safety glasses also act like sun glasses and disables, hands free driving mode.
  • If you don't read the manual, an alert text shows up on the screen and he reports 'deliberately looking away' which makes it likely the alert message was not seen.
• His accident scenario matches my...

Small NC town. Lots of hybrids and Teslas around on the roads. Occasional other EVs. I'm in for routine service on a 5 year old Rav4h. Next door is a GM/Chevy dealership, other side a Nissan dealership.

Model S pulls up in the front and hooks up to the charger.
Me: If you don't mind, why are you charging here rather than at the Supercharger 4 miles up the road.
He: Because I work here and will be here for 11 hours. We have a charger in front and one in back.

Half hour later wandering the lots in front on a day everyone else stayed home because of a storm and flooding. Came upon 2 sales types camped out in front of the front door of the dealership to snare any customer.
Me: Tough sales day.
They: Yea, not a prospect in sight all day.
Me: Ever sell any EVs?
They: No not really. I think we have one on the back lot that just came in. Can't recommend them, they seem to get traded back in 2 months...sometimes the same car repeatedly.