2024-10-22 13:52:00
Upper Austria
Tesla sunk in Lake Traunsee – driver completely caught in autopilot
The Tesla in Traunsee had to be lifted out of the water with a crane
© Austrian Water Rescue LV Upper Austria
There was an accident with a Tesla in Gmunden, Upper Austria, and the car and driver ended up in the lake. The car’s assistance system is to blame.
Although Elon Musk has stated several times that a Tesla theoretically floats well enough “to turn it into a boat for a short time”, the driver of the recently sunk electric car in Gmunden, Upper Austria, surely had other things in mind than to verify the truth of this statement. Like the According to the management of the Upper Austrian State Police, a strange accident occurred on October 21st around 1.20 pm.
Tesla braked and then accelerated again
A 45-year-old Czech man landed his car in Lake Traunsee because he was surprised by his car’s reaction to an “obstacle that was not in the road.” The driver said his Tesla initially initiated emergency braking for unexplained reasons while Autopilot was active. The driver then said the car accelerated again. They say both happened for no apparent reason.
The driver was so frightened by the car’s rapid acceleration that he jerked the steering wheel. The problem: If you drive south along Traunstein Strasse, as he did here, the shore of Lake Traunsee is on the right. And that’s exactly where the man ended up after his spontaneous gesture.
The good news: The driver was able to free himself from the car. Firefighters then recovered the vehicle from a depth of five metres. Advantage of the electric vehicle: “There has never been any environmental impact,” the police later reported.
Problematic autopilot
Tesla is now the subject of further investigation into the exact nature of the case. Autopilot is a recurring topic among authorities around the world. In the USA, where software enjoys much greater freedom than in the EU, serious accidents occur in connection with it, some of which even lead to deaths.
It was recently announced that the US Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating four crashes that occurred when Autopilot was active and visibility was poor. The experts are therefore checking whether the system recognized the poor visibility conditions and reacted appropriately.
Unlike competing systems, Tesla consciously avoids using more expensive sensor technologies such as laser radar. Cars rely solely on cameras, which, according to Elon Musk, is entirely sufficient for a vehicle to safely maneuver in traffic without manual intervention.
But there’s more: a few weeks ago Tesla announced that starting from 2026 it will introduce self-driving robotaxis without a steering wheel and pedals onto the market: the technology shouldn’t change much.
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