Paris cab firm suspends use of Tesla taxis after fatal collision when vehicle lost control
Updated: Dec 17, 2021
One of Paris' biggest taxi firms has suspended the use of its Tesla Model 3 vehicle after one of its cabs was involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian.
Taxi firm, G7, has around 40 Tesla Model 3 cabs in its fleet, all of which will be suspended until a police investigation into the incident is complete.
According to a number of sources, Deputy Chief Executive Yann Ricordel said an off-duty taxi driver was taking his family to a restaurant when the accident happened on the evening of Saturday 11 December. The collision killed one person and injured over a dozen more, with seven considered serious injuries.
According to a report by The Guardian, Tesla has checked the vehicle's crash data and have denied there being any technical problems with the car.
The French transport minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, backed up Tesla's response, saying: “There are no elements that would lead one to believe it was tied to a technical problem."
Tesla's Model 3 offers its advanced autopilot option which allows the vehicle to steer, move between lanes and brakes automatically. There's no evidence put forward yet to suggest any of those features failed and contributed to the crash.
