A Tesla employee who died in 2022 when his Tesla Model 3 went off the road was using full self-driving mode at a rink in the Denver, Colorado area a day later, a new investigation has found.
Driver and Tesla employee Hans von Ohain appears to be the first person to die using Tesla's top-of-the-line driver assistance technology.
The automaker offers three levels of driver assistance technology, starting with Autopilot, which includes radar-based cruise control, which maintains the appropriate distance between vehicles on the highway, and Autopilot, which helps keep the vehicle in clearly marked lanes. Provides: Enhanced Autopilot, which includes basic Autopilot features and adds what Tesla calls “Navigation on Autopilot,” controls the vehicle from onramp to exit on the highway, including suggesting lane changes, navigating interchanges, using turns, and more. Through it all, signal and take the correct exit based on what your navigation system tells you to do. Additionally, when Autosteer is activated, it moves into adjacent lanes, automatically parallel parks or positions the vehicle in a perpendicular spot, maneuvers the vehicle into tight spaces to allow the driver and passengers to enter the vehicle, and pulls out of a parking space. Look for drivers in parking lots such as malls or shopping centers.
Fully autonomous driving capabilities allow the vehicle to orient itself on city streets, recognize stop signs and traffic lights, and take appropriate action.
“Your vehicle will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention,” the automaker claims on its website.
Erik Rossiter, the only passenger in the Model 3, survived the crash.
Rossiter told the Washington Post, which conducted the investigation, that the 5-mile (8 km) ride was “uncomfortable.” The car's software struggled on the twisty roads, and von Ohain was frequently forced to make aggressive course corrections.
“When it first happened, I thought, ‘Is that normal?’” Rossiter told the newspaper. Ohain, who loves all things Tesla, said, “Yes. He reportedly responded, “Sometimes things like that happen.”
The vehicle, often referred to as an FSD, left the road, crashed into a tree and burst into flames. According to 911 dispatch records obtained by the newspaper, Rossiter told emergency responders that von Ohain was using his “automatic driving feature” to “go off the road and go straight for him.”
Rossiter, the recruiter, told the Post that he believed von Ohain was using FSD.
In a cruel twist of fate, von Ohain's beloved EV technology led to his death.
He says he was introduced to a fully autonomous driving system early on while working as an engineer recruiter, and enjoyed it for free while customers paid $10,000 for the feature.
A police investigation found that the Model 3's lithium battery cells may have contributed to the fireball resulting from the crash. Colorado State Patrol Sergeant Robert Madden, who was in charge of the investigation, told the newspaper. Madden believes von Ohain may have survived the crash. The autopsy results showed that he died from 'smoke inhalation and lacerations'.
An autopsy found that von Ohain's blood alcohol level at the time of death was 0.26. This was more than three times the legal limit and was so severe that it was impossible to drive safely.
All of this just goes to show that as someone who should be awake, alert, and paying attention to the road, it would be somewhat premature to declare the driver dead.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk likes to brag:[T]The more automated technologies available to assist drivers, the safer they and other road users will be. [are],” the use of FSD is much more subtle. Tesla publishes an extensive list of conditions in its owner's manual that may cause FSD to malfunction, and this list includes winding roads. The company's FSD software license requires drivers to be in control of their vehicles and specifies that Tesla is not liable for accidents caused by distracted or drunk driving.
(Photo = Acura Media Group)