Paris’s leading taxi company, G7, has suspended use of 37 Model 3 cars in its fleet after an accident Saturday involving one of its drivers in which one person died and 20 were injured. Three people are in serious condition, according to a person close to the investigation.
France’s transport minister said on Wednesday that there was no suggestion at this stage that a fatal accident in Paris involving a Tesla Model 3 taxi was caused by a technical failure.
“There are no elements that would lead anyone to believe that it is related to a technical problem,” Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told RMC radio.
The minister said that he had spoken with the chief executive of Tesla Europe, who told him that there were no security alerts on Model 3.
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. The automaker collects detailed data from its vehicles’ sensors and cameras and has used that data in the past to dispute claims that the accidents were caused by faulty technology.
G7 Executive Vice President Yann Ricordel quoted Tesla as saying on Monday that an initial investigation had ruled out a technical flaw.
Ricordel said the accident occurred while an off-duty taxi driver was taking his family to a restaurant. The driver tried to brake, but the car accelerated, Ricordel said.
A police source told Reuters the car, which had stopped at a red traffic light, suddenly accelerated, hitting and dragging with it a cyclist who later died.
The driver tried to stop the vehicle by heading for surrounding obstacles, including garbage cans, causing further damage, the police source said, citing the driver’s own version of the events, witnesses and video surveillance.
It was unclear whether the car was operating in autopilot mode. The driver’s test was negative on an alcohol test, the police source said.
A judicial source said an investigation into the driver’s involuntary manslaughter had been opened.
Video of the scene obtained by Reuters showed the wreckage of a black Tesla and debris strewn across the street. The left side of the vehicle was dented, the left front wheel broke, and the windshield shattered.
The car appeared to have collided with a white van, which suffered damage at the front. Another footage that circulated on social media showed members of the public caring for the wounded and shocked spectators after the accident.
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Reference: CNN Brasil
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