Tesla vs Tow Truck results in flames! (RUS)

[TowNews]

Tesla Model S explodes after crash with truck, reportedly on Autopilot

 

Tesla fires are back in the news today due to a Model S exploding after a crash with a tow truck in Moscow.

 

The vehicle was reportedly on Autopilot at the time of the accident.

 

Russian businessman Alexey Tretyakov was driving his Model S last night when it hit a tow truck that was servicing a vehicle on the highway near Moscow.

 

According to local media, he and his two children were severely injured and transported to the hospital.

The Model S caught on fire shortly after the accident and then exploded.

 

Passersby captured several impressive videos of the fire and following explosions, which happened while there was still heavy traffic around the burning vehicle:

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

UPDATE 2-Tesla electric car catches fire after hitting tow truck in Moscow

 

MOSCOW, Aug 11 (Reuters) - A Tesla Model 3 electric car caught fire after crashing into a parked tow truck on a Moscow motorway late on Saturday, with the Tesla driver saying he had failed to see the vehicle with which he collided.

 

Asked in a video published on REN TV website if he was using an Autopilot self-driving system, driver Alexei Tretyakov said he was in a drive assistance mode in which he was still holding the steering wheel.

 

Tesla Inc has stood by safety claims for its Model 3 in the face of regulatory scrutiny, while documents showed the top U.S. automotive safety watchdog issued at least five subpoenas since last year seeking information about crashes involving the company's vehicles.

 

Tretyakov said was driving at around 100 km (62 miles) per hour -- the speed limit -- when the car crashed on its left side into the stationary tow truck that he had not noticed.

 

Footage of the incident on state TV channel Rossiya 24 showed the car by the side of the road engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Two small explosions occurred within a few seconds of each other and the metal frame of the vehicle was all that remained after the fire, TV footage showed.

 

Russia's RIA state news agency website posted a video showing the car driving in the left-hand lane of Moscow's ring road, known as the MKAD, before crashing into a tow truck parked by a safety fence that separates the carriageway from oncoming traffic.

 

The accident took place at around 2100 Moscow time (1800 GMT).

 

Tretyakov, a financial market expert and the head of Arikapital investment company, said he broke his leg in the incident, while his two children suffered only bruises. They all escaped from the vehicle.

 

Tesla was not immediately available for a comment on the incident outside normal business hours.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

 

MORE DETAILS FOUND IN THIS LINK CLICK HERE

 

[TowZone]

The News is blowing this up as Tesla Autopilot fails. The driver of the vehicle stated it was not in autopilot mode. But it was in Driver assist mode, which many automakers have some sort of these days. The driver stated he had his hands on the wheel and failed to see the tow truck, exactly where the tow truck was located in vague as it seems to vary in the numerous reports. I tend to lean to it being in a narrow break down lane of sorts. Also, the Tesla did not burst into flames upon impact the Driver (father) and his two children were able to exit the vehicle to a safe location. The story should read catch fire following the accident. Many vehicle will do that, this just happens to be a Tesla. Wow, as I am writing this Fox & Friends is doing a story on it. I'll add comments if they report anything different then I have seen.

 

We do have at least a couple of members in Russia and a few lurkers. Those members may have more info to share.