Tesla Publicly Releases Crucial Data Showing What Happened Minutes Before China Accident

I think it's the first time that Tesla has reportedly publicly released the data logs from a customer’s vehicle involved in a crash that led the owner to protest at Tesla’s booth at the Shanghai Motor Show, showing what happened.

Yesterday, Tesla expressed its willingness to cooperate fully and provide the raw data of the vehicle half an hour before the incident to a third-party appraisal agency or a technical supervision department designated by the government or consumers.

This afternoon Tesla’s person responsible for handling the accident told a reporter from China Market Supervision News: “We have already sent data emails to customers. The customer has never answered the phone. (We are) sent to the email address the customer filled in when they bought the car through the company email."

Here’s Tesla’s explanation according to China Market Supervision News (translated from Chinese):

“When the driver stepped on the brake pedal for the last time, the data showed that the speed of the vehicle was 118.5 kilometers per hour. Within 2.7 seconds after the driver stepped on the brake pedal, the maximum brake master cylinder pressure was only 45.9 bar. After that, the driver increased the stepping on the brake pedal, and the brake master cylinder pressure reached 92.7 bar. The front collision warning and automatic emergency braking function were activated (the maximum brake master cylinder pressure reached 140.7bar) and played a role, reducing the amplitude of the collision. 1.8 seconds after the ABS was applied, the system recorded the occurrence of the collision. After the driver stepped on the brake pedal, the vehicle speed continued to decrease, and before the collision, the vehicle speed was reduced to 48.5 kilometers per hour.”

To sum up, the vehicle is running at a higher speed, and the driver starts to depress the brake pedal with less force. After that, the automatic emergency braking function is activated and takes effect, increasing the braking force and reducing the impact of the collision. The driving system is normally involved in the work and reduces the speed of the car.

In addition, with regard to the condition of the vehicle 30 minutes before the accident, Tesla stated this: In the 30 minutes before the accident, the driver drove the vehicle normally and had more than 40 records of depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle has repeatedly stopped more than 100 kilometers per hour and stopped repeatedly.

The relevant person in charge of Tesla stated that he would cooperate with the regulatory authorities to carry out in-depth investigations without reservation, and openly accept social supervision, explains China Market Supervision New.

This data itself is amazing. On one hand, it's a positive step by Tesla toward transparency. On the other hand, Tesla publicly releasing this data is shocking and possibly even a shame how Tesla is handling sensitive customer data! They are a company and should not act like it. Is this releasing private information to the public without the consent of the driver and owner of the data?

I just don't understand one thing. If in previous occasions Tesla hasn't published any logs for privacy sake, why has Tesla done it now, specially when the costumer hasn't responded to agree to it?.

Also, see Torque News Tesla reporter Daniel Cappo's coverage on the subject, titled: Tesla Autopilot Can Function Without An Operator In The Vehicle.

Following an incident on Monday when a Tesla owner protested by climbing on a Model 3 at the Shanghai auto show, Tesla has been facing an onslaught of criticism by the Chinese government. And the EV maker has issued an apology.

In the meantime, Tesla is working on vehicles tailored to Chinese consumers as complaints about the quality of its electric vehicles send shock waves through the internet in the country.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.