60%: Who’s At Fault, Tesla Driver Or Autopilot?

Tesla’s Autopilot driving assistance system is under the legal spotlight again. 

A major trial is set to begin in a few days in a California court, concerning the death of an Apple employee. Walter Huang, a 38-year-old engineer was behind the wheel of a Model X, with the Autopilot turned on when his electric SUV crashed into a barrier at 70 miles per hour. The blunt force trauma resulted in Huang’s death, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Huang’s family alleges that Tesla oversold the capabilities of Autopilot, and didn’t take enough measures to prevent abuse of the technology.

From WSJ this morning:

On the morning of the March 2018 crash, Huang was making his commute to work after dropping his son off at preschool. With Autopilot engaged while on the highway, Huang’s Model X approached a dividing area that sits between travel lanes of the highway and an exit ramp.

The Autopilot system moved the vehicle off the highway and into the dividing area, and then struck a barrier at about 70 miles an hour. Huang died as a result of blunt force trauma injuries sustained in the crash.

His family’s attorneys say Tesla is to blame for the incident because reasonable drivers believe Autopilot is safe and can navigate highway roads, according to court filings, citing statements and advertising by Musk and the carmaker.

Tesla said Huang was playing a videogame just moments before the crash. Make what you will of that last nugget of information, but if Tesla’s claims are true, there's little to debate about right and wrong here. Driver supervision and readiness to take control are paramount to your safety, and the safety of other motorists on the road.

However, this doesn’t absolve Tesla from responsibility. Even though the company’s guidelines on Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) require active driver supervision, the broader messaging is misleading. Musk believes that Autopilot is a game changer, but an InsideEVs investigation of crash data released by Tesla found that the system didn’t improve by much over last year and the data provided had several limitations.

This trial could go on for weeks. Should the jury favor the family accusing Tesla of misconduct, several other plaintiffs might be emboldened to press charges similarly.

90%: EV Test Tracks Attract Throngs Of Visitors

Yesterday was the final day of the 2024 New York International Auto Show. While the show itself has lost its mojo with fewer new reveals and global debuts compared to pre-pandemic years, there’s one thing that’s attracting visitors: the EV test track.

I attended the press days about two weeks ago and returned during one of the public days last week to see the turnout for myself. And boy, people seemed excited. Last year, some 120,000 visitors showed up at the EV test track over two weeks. This year’s first weekend saw a 78% increase. We’re awaiting overall numbers, but expect them to be much higher—a sign that curiosity is growing among Americans regarding EVs.

New York Auto Show's EV test track is located two levels below the street level inside the Javits Center in Hudson Yards, a posh Manhattan neighborhood with towering (and somewhat empty) commercial skyscrapers. The test track spans 90,000 square feet, 57% larger than a regular football field. Not massive, I know, but enough for visitors to get a taste of EVs.

There’s a slalom course, a launch pad, some slow-speed corners, and artificial bumps to test ride quality. Each ride lasts about five minutes, and indoor safety precautions mean you're only a passenger while hired professional drivers give it the beans. 

Dozens of non-Tesla EVs were available to ride in, including the Lucid Air, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV (with fixed software!), Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E, Lexus RZ 450e, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 5 N, Kia EV6 GT, and EV9 among others. Tesla couldn't get a spot at the EV test track because it showed up for registration late, so Lucid got its spot, one of the staff members told me. But the crowd didn't care.

From what I observed, the launch pad had people grinning ear to ear at the explosive acceleration of Kia EV6 GT, Mustang Mach-E and Lucid Air, leaving many of them smitten.

Several members managing the EV test track I spoke to confirmed that they were witnessing a record turnout. “This is the only one that does it to this scale. This is a bigger event with more people than it was previously. More vehicles are available now and the variety of manufacturers helps with that,” an Electrify America stall member who preferred anonymity told me.

100%: Can EV Test Tracks Spur Demand?

Auto shows, in their traditional format, are bordering on obsolescence. But can EV test tracks, where several automakers congregate to offer test rides, have a positive impact?

The turnout at NYIAS has proved that Americans are curious about EVs. How many of them end up making a switch is another story for another day, but do you think this is a good way for automakers to help potential buyers familiarize themselves with the technology? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com