Because Of Autopilot Mode Tesla Car Hit A Tree, Kills Two People In Texas

Ilustrasi Tesla (Image Credit: Andreas Dress / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The autopilot mode or automatic steering system is an attraction for users of electric cars made by Tesla. Even though it can move automatically, this autopilot mode still requires direct supervision of the driver while driving.

Because a Tesla electric car hit a tree and caught fire on Saturday, April 17, in Texas, United States. The incident killed two passengers on board.

According to police, the Tesla electric car hit a tree and caught fire. Where no one was in the steering wheel when the accident occurred, as summarized by The Guardian, Monday, April 19.

"There's no one in the driver's seat", said police who are still investigating the accident.

Launching CNBC International, Tesla sells an automatic drive system called FSD or Full Self-Driving. This system has been installed in most Tesla cars, with a subscription fee of $10,000 (around IDR 145 million).

This system allows the car to move automatically without having to be driven. Tesla boss Elon Musk claims this automatic steering system has worked quite well.

"The autopilot is good enough that you don't have to drive most of the time unless you really want to", Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Although the car can move automatically, Tesla emphasized that the autopilot system on the FSD does not really make the car autonomous. Control from the driver is still very much needed to oversee the control of the car.

"The currently activated features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous", wrote Tesla.

However, many Tesla users activate autopilot mode and let the car move automatically without someone in the steering seat. Not even a few let the Tesla car run alone with the driver asleep in the back seat.

One of them is done by actor Jamie Foxx. He uploaded a video on his YouTube channel showing Foxx sleeping in front of the wheel of a Tesla Model 3 electric car and also driving while closing his eyes.