It was a sad week in the Tesla world because of the first death of a Tesla S driver, Joshua Brown while using Autopilot, that surely was the worst of Tesla news of the week. There was also as with every week plenty of Tesla Motor news.
More Crash Fatality News & Background
Reuters reported that a portable DVD was found in the Tesla driven by Brown. However a witness nearby said that there was no movie playing.
Tesla Motors reported its second-quarter global sales rose 25% to 14,370, less than the 17,000 it had expected, as it worked to produce more vehicles.
Dan Galves, Mobileye’s Chief Communications Officer issued this statement about AEB:
“We have read the account of what happened in this case. Today’s collision avoidance technology, or Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) is defined as rear-end collision avoidance, and is designed specifically for that. This incident involved a laterally crossing vehicle, which current-generation AEB systems are not designed to actuate upon. Mobileye systems will include Lateral Turn Across Path (LTAP) detection capabilities beginning in 2018, and the Euro NCAP safety ratings will include this beginning in 2020.”
In response Tesla issued the statement:
“Tesla’s autopilot system was designed in-house and uses a fusion of dozens of internally- and externally-developed component technologies to determine the proper course of action in a given scenario. Since January 2016, Autopilot activates automatic emergency braking in response to any interruption of the ground plane in the path of the vehicle that cross-checks against a consistent radar signature. In the case of this accident, the high, white side of the box truck, combined with a radar signature that would have looked very similar to an overhead sign, caused automatic braking not to fire.”
Telsa S P85D Understated in Norway?
In Norway, Tesla over estimate the howrspower the Model S P85D and will have to pya 50,000 Krones ($6,000 USD) to each of the approximately 150 models sold.
Tesla in statement to the media replied
“Testing done by Tesla and independent third parties has demonstrated that the Model S P85D’s acceleration and motor power numbers have always been accurate, even understated. With respect to acceleration, Tesla described the P85D as having a 0-100 kph time of 3.3 seconds, and Motor Trend and others actually achieved a time of 3.1 seconds. Similarly, the motor power numbers used by Tesla were legally required and confirmed as accurate by European regulatory authorities. Based on this information, the Consumer Council previously resolved these issues in Tesla’s favor. Tesla will be reviewing the decision by the Consumer Disputes Commission to better understand the conclusion that it reached.”
New Features in 8.0
Previous to fatal crash report, Electrek outlined new features the Tesla update to 8.0:
- 8.0 will allow drivers to command the Autopilot to take an exit by simply activating the turn signal.
- Tesla’s beta program says that the 8.0 is also introducing a more responsive Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer for a smoother experience in traffic.
- UI style changes.
- Improved voice commands.
- Redesigned map.
- Improved media player with Spotify.
Hello Ruby Tuesday & Telsa Cars
Tesla and Ruby Tuesday, restaurants, announced a partnership to open a series of new Supercharger Stations at its locations along important routes across the US. The first station recently opened at the Ruby Tuesday location in Miner, Mo., on E. Malone Avenue. Superchargers allow Tesla drivers to travel up to 270 miles, take a dining break at Ruby Tuesday and get back on the road at full charge.
Tesla 3 Buyers Win Golden Ticket to Grand Opening
Tesla created a ‘Golden Ticket’ drawing for all the Model 3 reservation holders who placed a pre-order during the first day and randomly selected 12 winners to receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Gigafactory Grand Opening on July 29.
Super Chargers at Gas Stations
Tesla Motors is talking with gas station chains about installing Superchargers at some of their stations in the US.
Telsa 3 Photo Shoot in San Francisco
Photos emerged of a photo shoot of the Tesla 3 on imgur. The exterior looks very sleak.
Telsa/Solar City Combo
Elon Musk wants to combine Tesla Motors to buy Solar City to “complete the picture” of making sustainable transportation more affordable and renewable. The acquisition will have to be approved by shareholders.
The news release stated “If completed, we believe that a combination of Tesla and SolarCity would provide significant benefits to our shareholders, customers and employees.”
Tesla Energy is contracted for 12 MWh Powerpack for Cal State University (CSU). The initial phase of the project includes the installation and operation of a 1,000kW/6,000kWh energy storage system at CSU’s Long Beach campus. AMS will subsequently install two storage systems at the CSU Office of the Chancellor and the Dominguez Hills campus, for a total of 2,000kW/12,000kWh of energy storage.
Yikes, tests from Tesla owners show that collision avoidance features such as autobraking don’t always work. The YouTube video shows a person running away because the car didn’t stop. The car stops when it is summon mode but not in TACC. Autopilot failed to attempt to stop the car, though the car gave a audible and visual collision warning.
Reduced Price for Windshield Fix
Tesla’s President of Global Sales and Service, Jon McNeill, monitored a Tesla Forum where a Tesla X owner reported the price to repair the panoramic windshield was $2290. He said that the price was a price mistake in the Tesla system. The actual cost for the Windshield is $880 with labor the total price with installation is $1370.
Mutual Mobile Concept
Mutual Mobile unveiled the first 3rd party concept app for the Tesla. This app adds accurate engine sounds to the Tesla Model S. Using the Tesla Model S Touchscreen drivers can select from a muscle car, motorcycle, airplane, and even a spaceship and have it seamlessly piped through the vehicle’s speakers.
To demonstrate this possibility Mutual Mobile created a concept app called Tesla Gas Engine. This tongue & cheek app makes use of Tesla’s Touchscreen web browser for the app’s driver interface and the iPhone 6S built in accelerometer & GPS for telemetry. Then the simulated engine roar is output via the car’s Bluetooth speakers with acoustic accuracy.