Elon Musk is preparing for a larger roll-out of new autonomous driving software for his Tesla line of driverless cars. The move was not based on further innovating his vehicles but motivated by the aftermath of a government investigation following another deadly Tesla crash in his new home state of Texas back in April.
Social media posts from the famous CEO’s Twitter account hint at upgrades and expansions to Tesla’s driver assistance software.
Another deadly Tesla crash
These changes come in the shadow of another fatal crash of a Tesla vehicle into an overturned semi-truck on a California freeway on May 5th. A 35-year-old man in the car died with another injured while pulling the truck driver out of his vehicle.
Initial speculation by authorities is that the autopilot on the Tesla Model 3 was engaged at the time of the collision. Investigations revealed that the car was set to the partially automated system, also known as the autopilot feature.
The accident is now the 29th Tesla crash investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is also the fourth accident involving the autopilot feature, raising concerns that only continue to grow.
The Texas accident continues to be shrouded in mystery as neither of the two occupants killed seemed to be in the driver seat at the time of the crash. Security footage from the start of the drive sees the owner getting into the driver seat with the vehicle only traveling 550 feet before the collision.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into the Texas accident is ongoing. Investigators have not concluded whether the autopilot was on or not.
While Musk continues to fine-tune his driverless technology, the spotlight may shift away from the innovations driven by Elon Musk and towards the deadly dangers that his driverless technology may present.
