Elon Musk claims fatal crash was not on ‘Full Self-Driving Beta’ after Tesla said the logs were lost

Published

11 months ago

February 14, 2024

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Elon Musk hero Tesla shareholder meeting

Elon Musk has claimed that a fatal crash reported by The Washington Post yesterday was not on ‘Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta’ after Tesla told the police that they couldn’t confirm it because the logs were lost.

Now, he goes as far as claiming that FSD Beta would have saved the Tesla employee.

Yesterday, we reported on a horrible accident involving a Tesla employee, Hans von Ohain, and his friend Erik Rossiter.

The duo was returning from a day of golfing outside Denver when von Ohain’s Tesla Model 3 crashed into a tree. Rossiter was able to exit the vehicle as it was catching on fire, but unfortunately, von Ohain was stuck in it as a tree was blocking the driver’s door. He died inside the vehicle.

The crash happened almost two years ago, but it was only reported now after The Washington Post obtained the police investigation that came following the crash. The publication talked to the officer leading the investigation, Rossiter, the only witness, and Von Ohain’s loved ones.

The cause of the crash was clear: von Ohain was intoxicated. An autopsy found that he died with a blood alcohol level of 0.26 — more than three times the legal limit. But the police also wanted to investigated the potential factor of advanced driver assist feature as Rossiter told the first responder right away that the driver was using an “auto drive feature on the Tesla.”

Rossiter said that Von Ohain was using “Full Self-Driving” on the way to golf and back. His family also said that he was an avid user of the feature.

In fact, Nora Bass, his wife, said that he used it almost every time and she herself didn’t use on the car because she was uncomfortable with it:

Von Ohain used Full Self-Driving nearly every time he got behind the wheel, Bass said, placing him among legions of Tesla boosters heeding Musk’s call to generate data and build the technology’s mastery. While Bass refused to use the feature herself — she said its unpredictability stressed her out — her husband was so confident in all it promised that he even used it with their baby in the car.

Everything points to Von Ohain having and using FSD Beta, but Tesla said it couldn’t confirm it through the logs.

The police didn’t have access to the logs because the car completely burned down and Tesla says that the car didn’t beam them over-the-air amid the crash:

Colorado police were unable to access data from the car because of the intensity of the fire, according to the investigation report, and Tesla said it could not confirm that a driver-assistance system had been in use because it “did not receive data over-the-air for this incident.” Madden said the remote location may have hindered communications.

Again, that was found through the police investigation which happened over the last almost two years since the crash.

Now that it becomes public, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has claimed that the car didn’t even have FSD Beta:

He was not on FSD. The software had unfortunately never been downloaded. I say “unfortunately”, because the accident probably would not have happened if FSD had been engaged.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 14, 2024

Interestingly, Tesla even reported the crash to NHTSA to confirm that “a driver-assistance feature had been in use at least 30 seconds before impact”:

However, Tesla did report the crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to NHTSA, Tesla received notification of the crash through an unspecified “complaint” and alerted federal authorities that a driver-assistance feature had been in use at least 30 seconds before impact.

They didn’t specify which feature and NHTSA couldn’t confirm it either.

Electrek’s Take

Again, as I wrote yesterday, there’s no doubt that the driver is responsible for this crash, and it was a bad decision to get behind the wheel after drinking.

However, I think it’s still important to point out the issue of people behind overconfident with Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD beta features. We have seen plenty of accidents happened, intoxication or not, that appear to stem from driver not paying enough attention because they believe too much in what is only a package of level 2 driver-assist features despite the package’s name.

Now, as for this particular case and whether or not FSD Beta or Autopilot were involved, I see a lot of red flag. The family has been clear. The only witness has been clear, and Tesla has had almost two years of collaborating with the police. It couldn’t tell the police whether FSD Beta was involved or not, and yet, Elon can now tell the public it wasn’t. Red flag.

Also, Tesla told the police that the logs were lost, but it could tell NHTSA that “a driver-assistance feature had been in use at least 30 seconds before impact.” Red flag.

Tesla is required to report crashes involving ADAS features.

Again, don’t drink and drive. That’s obvious. But also, don’t believe that Tesla’s FSD package is going to help you drive while paying less attention to the road or being impaired. It won’t. I might be able to concede that driving with FSD Beta is safer than without as long as you are being as or more vigilant than you would be not using the feature.

If you are not as vigilant because you see this as some kind of crutch, it is more dangerous than driving without it.

I know that when I talk about FSD Beta to people who don’t know much about it, one of the first things that often comes up is, “Oh cool, now the car can drive you home when you are drunk”. That’s a thought that Tesla needs to squash and it doesn’t help when Elon goes out there saying that FSD Beta would have “probably” avoided that accident.

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Texans can now join a VPP and get 2 sonnen batteries at no upfront cost

Published

6 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Texans can now join a VPP and get 2 sonnen batteries at no upfront cost

A groundbreaking new Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA) provides Texans with solar panels and two 20 kWh sonnen batteries at no upfront cost.

A new sonnen storage + solar VPP for Texans

SOLRITE Energy, which finances solar and battery storage, and global battery storage manufacturer sonnen today announced the launch of their new VPA in Texas’s ERCOT market. This program offers solar and battery storage for homeowners at an affordable monthly rate, making backup power accessible for many Texans.

Here’s how it works: SOLRITE installs solar panels and sonnen batteries at eligible customer households with no upfront cost. (I’ve asked the sonnen spokesperson what the eligibility criteria are and will update this post when I hear back.) Homeowners then pay a lower-than-average rate for the solar energy they produce each month, saving them money compared to typical electricity rates in Texas.

Texans participating in the SOLRITE program pay a leading rate of 12¢ per kWh for solar energy, significantly lower than the 19-20¢ per kWh rate commonly seen in the state.

The sonnen batteries provide backup power for each home at no charge and enable Texan homeowners to join a larger virtual power plant (VPP) network. The VPP supports the Texas grid, reducing reliance on polluting power plants during times of high demand. SOLRITE and sonnen generate revenue from the energy stored in these batteries, which helps cover the cost of the equipment, and that’s what allows homeowners to use the battery systems at no cost.

Each day, the sonnen batteries in the VPP help balance the Texas grid by directing power where it’s needed most and when it’s most valuable. This reduces energy costs for everyone, whether they’re in the VPP or not, and strengthens the grid’s efficiency and resilience.

The VPP also differs from traditional solar buyback programs that send extra energy to the grid whenever it’s sunny. Instead, the sonnen battery network strategically controls when and how energy is shared with the ERCOT grid, making solar energy a more reliable power source.

Since September 2024, SOLRITE says it’s already committed over 40 megawatt-hours of residential battery power to the Texas market through this program, working with solar installers statewide.

Blake Richetta, chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA said:

The bold and inventive SOLRITE introduction in the Texas market represents the most successful early-stage launch of the sonnenConnect VPP in the world.

sonnen is proud to dispatch authentic VPPs across the United States and Australia, as well as the largest behind-the-meter residential battery based VPP in the European Union – with nerve centers in Germany, Italy and Belgium, amongst other countries.

And in all of these markets, we have never seen anything like the SOLRITE Texas launch. We are so proud of the SOLRITE invention, and we are passionate to build a SOLRITE-Future for Texas.

Electrek’s Take

I belong to a virtual power plant in Vermont and have two Tesla Powerwalls, and I love being part of this program. I lease my Powerwalls for $55 a month and had to pay a couple thousand dollars to have them installed, so what sonnen and SOLRITE are offering to Texans is a really good deal.

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As Biden heads out, $43.7M goes to 25 EV charging accelerator projects

Published

8 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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As Biden heads out, .7M goes to 25 EV charging accelerator projects

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s Communities Taking Charge Accelerator has awarded $43.7 million to 25 innovative EV charging projects across the US.

The Communities Taking Charge Accelerator was launched on April 16, 2024, and the funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The three main goals of the funding are to expand access to electrified mobility options for folks who don’t have access to home charging, accelerate opportunities for fleet electrification, and improve and advance managed charging systems to mitigate impacts and optimize usage of the grid.

On January 15, 25 project awardees were announced that impact 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Challenges that the projects will address include:

Solving for no-home charging. Not everyone has a driveway or garage to charge their EVs, e-bikes, or scooters. Projects are testing creative solutions like curbside chargers, multifamily charging setups, and shared community micromobility hubs. They also look at everything from rate design to building multimodal charging hubs, making it easier for people in apartments or urban areas to power up.

In this project, for example, Voltpost will install lamppost EV chargers in San Francisco using existing infrastructure.

Electrifying fleets for people and goods. Think of shared rides, carpool services, and last-mile delivery trucks. Electrifying these types of light- and medium-duty fleets could have a huge impact on reducing emissions. These projects aim to figure out how to charge fleets more efficiently, whether they’re transporting people or goods. It’s all about improving community access to clean transportation options while keeping operations smooth for fleet operators.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s project allows Metro Bike Share to increase access to electric bikes by implementing electrified stations with in-dock charging.

Managed charging for clean reliable energy. Managed charging is about coordinating when and how EVs charge to avoid grid strain and use renewable energy whenever possible. Projects in this area are working on open-source tools and standards to make managed charging tech accessible and easy to integrate into today’s energy systems.

The University of Alabama is running a project to develop and implement an end-to-end multi-stakeholder EV charging management framework to enhance grid reliability.

Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office, said, “This investment aims to expand transportation and energy infrastructure to meet the current and anticipated demands – from how people charge and use shared vehicle fleets including e-bikes around transit hubs to a new model for more affordable multifamily housing charging – advancing a more holistic energy and transportation ecosystem.”

Electrek’s Take

The Biden administration has been rapidly doling out funds to clean energy and EV projects, and it’s great to see the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator funds reach its recipients at the 11th hour. There are some great projects, which you can check out here.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate partner

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Tesla says a new way to clean cameras are coming

Published

9 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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Tesla says a new way to clean cameras are coming

Tesla announced on X that it is working on a new way to keep the cameras clean on the Cybertruck.

Hopefully, it will make its way to other Tesla vehicles because it is a common problem with the performance of its advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).

When driving using Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite of driver-assist features, you will often get an alert that the system might not work properly because “one or more cameras are obstructed” due to dirt or snow coming off the road and into the lenses.

For Cybertruck, that’s an even problem because the rear-view camera is the only way to look behind the vehicle when the tonneau cover is up.

It led to some owners complaining that they need to remember to clean the camera at the back of the truck almost every time they use it, especially in the winter.

Tesla responded to some of those comments through its ‘Tesla AI’ account on X. One owner specifically asked if Tesla is planning a solution for when it achieves “unsupervised self-driving” because it then can’t expect someone to always be able to clean the cameras and Tesla responded:

On a more serious note, a more comprehensive cleaning solution is being worked on.

Tesla didn’t elaborate on the solution or when it would be available.

Back in 2019, we reported on Tesla applying for a patent on technology “to use laser beams to clean debris off its cars automatically.” It mused that it could be used to clean cameras, but nothing came out of the patent application.

Tesla says that it plans to achieve unsupervised self-driving capability in California and Texas around Q2 2025, but the latest data makes this sound extremely unlikely, to say the least.

Electrek’s Take

I doubt that it will be lasers, though it would be cool, but there’s undoubtedly a need for a solution.

In my own experience with FSD in the Quebec winter, I get alerts of obstructed cameras literally every other drive.

Tesla has already implemented heaters, which help some, but other than the front-facing cameras, which benefit from the windshield wipers, there’s a need for more.

What’s interesting here is Tesla basically admits that for unsupervised self-driving, which was part of the question it answered, it needs to add extra hardware to make it work.

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