autoevolution
 

What Made a Tesla Model Y Speed Up For 2.6 Km Until Killing Two People in China?

A shocking crash that took place in Chaozhou put Tesla in hot water in China. A former professional truck driver tried to park his Model Y in front of the cement store he runs in that city. He claims that the EV did not stop and accelerated for 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) until it hit several vehicles, killing two people. The country is now asking: what happened?
Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this? 8 photos
Photo: Janchubi/Weibo
This is how the Tesla gear selection lever is operatedTesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this?Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this?Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this?Tesla Model Y clearly shows brake lights turned on without any obstacles ahead: the driver stepped on the brakesTesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this?Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people: what caused this?
CNEVPost translated an interview Dahe Daily had with the driver – identified only as Zhan. According to him, the issue started when he didn’t manage to park the car. It was November 5, 6:42 AM local time (if the time on the camera was correct), when the former 55-year-old truck driver felt the brake pedal was really hard. Zhan noted that the Model Y has a regeneration mode that usually stops the car, but said it did not work at that time.

Still trying to get his EV to stop, Zhan pressed the park (P) button on the gear selection lever. That was when the Model Y started to accelerate. As the EV would not stop, he had to get back on the road. A motorcycle had just passed the Model Y, and Zhan had to “instinctively” deviate from it.

This is how the Tesla gear selection lever is operated
Photo: Tesla/edited by autoevolution
The former truck driver said speed kept building up. Zhan swears he never touched the accelerator pedal while trying to make it stop. He just kept on pressing the brake pedal in the hope that it would eventually work again while attempting to deviate from other road users. He also looked for “an obstacle to stop the vehicle,” which was what he did when his truck did not brake downhill.

Unfortunately, Zhan hit a motorcycle traveling in the same direction before finding the obstacle that would help him stop the vehicle. This first crash happened after the EV ran around 1.2 km (0.75 mi). The rider died at the scene, and we can see in the videos that the right side of the Tesla is damaged. Reports of a punctured left front tire from that point on seem to be incorrect: the footage also shows it was the right tire that blew.

After hitting the motorcycle, the Model Y lost the right front tire hubcap and knocked a bicycle coming in the opposite direction, which can be seen in the video shared by 9 News Australia. This bike rider did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people\: what caused this\?
Photo: Janchubi/Weibo
Zhan’s Model Y continued for 1.4 km (0.87 mi) more until it struck a cargo trike, which was heavy enough for the EV to oversteer to the right and hit a dumpster truck, a high school girl on a bicycle, and a van on the right side of the road. The girl also died. South China Morning Post states in its video that the Tesla drove for 2 km (1.2 mi), which does not match the report about the distances we shared above.

The trike driver was heavily injured. It was a miracle that only three people got hurt, one of them being Zhan. He said he was conscious all the way until hitting the trike. Someone removed him from his Model Y, and he regained consciousness in a store when he asked about the people he hit. Zhan’s rescuers told him not to worry and that he needed to go to a hospital quickly.

Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people\: what caused this\?
Photo: Janchubi/Weibo
When he got there, he had a blood test that showed he was not under the influence of any substance. Zhan also denied using the phone, stepping on the accelerator, or getting distracted in any way. It was a relative of Zhan who shared on Weibo the images that illustrate this article.

Tesla has a different story to tell. According to the EV maker, the car did not present any malfunction. The crash would be Zhan’s responsibility because he would have stepped on the accelerator pedal for a long time, even at 100% of its capacity at some times. Tesla also claims that the driver never pressed the brakes. Pictures from public cameras show that this is not true: the brake lights are clearly on at least one occasion without any obstacles ahead, which helps to discard automatic emergency braking (AEB). Zhan said he was “stepping on it and then releasing it, then continuing to step on it and then releasing it, all the way,” which may explain why there are times in the video when the brake lights are off.

Tesla Model Y clearly shows brake lights turned on without any obstacles ahead\: the driver stepped on the brakes
Photo: Janchubi/Weibo
The story deserves careful attention for more than one reason. On April 19, 2021, Zhang Yazhou became world famous when she climbed on top of a Model 3 at Auto Shanghai 2021 and made headlines around the planet. She dressed a T-shirt which read in Chinese “Brakes Lost Control” and “Invisible Killer.” She is just the most extreme example of other people in China complaining about similar braking problems. Some even installed cameras under the dashboard to show in which pedals they were stepping in case their cars crashed: they wanted to prevent Tesla from putting the blame on them.

The EV maker has also been accused several times in China of sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). Jason Hughes, the Tesla Hacker, said that this is impossible in a Tesla, but another possibility for the issue emerged: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC). The Chinese government forced Tesla to add a sound when TACC was activated because drivers would often turn it on instead of putting the car in drive (D). If the previously set speed were higher than the one in which the Tesla was driving, the EV would accelerate pretty fast. Zhan said his car accelerated after he pressed the P button. What if he inadvertently moved the lever down?

Tesla Model Y crashed in Chaozhou and killed two people\: what caused this\?
Photo: Janchubi/Weibo
Despite Tesla’s explanation for the crash, some Chinese “netizens” are arguing that it is impossible that any sane driver would step on the accelerator pedal for 2.6 km without noticing they were on the wrong pedal. Zhan is a professional truck driver, which suggests he perfectly knew what he was doing. He also seemed to be used to his Model Y and its behavior. On top of everything, the images show the brake lights on.

The Chinese government already said it would find an independent forensic company to inspect Zhan’s Model Y. Whoever they are, they may find it helpful to contact the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), which decrypted Tesla’s data storage system and discovered that the company only shares what it reputes as convenient. The Chaozhou fatal crash is tragic, and tragedies tend to be utterly inconvenient for companies involved with them.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories