Tesla skidding: 40 thousand cars recalled. What happened
After the maxi, virtual recall, which involved about 1.1 million vehicles, a new update for 40 thousand electric cars. Meanwhile, the owner sells Tesla shares for $ 3.95 billion
New troubles on the technical front for Tesla, in the last hours already shaken by the news, reported by Bloomberg citing some communications to the SEC, that its patron, Elon Musk , would be disposing of no less than 19.5 million shares for a value around to $ 3.95 billion.
After the maxi recall, virtual (in the form of an update) which involved about 1.1 million vehicles – an important part of the production of the now Texan brand – which, due to a malfunction of the automatic reversing system Windows, according to Reuters , may not react correctly after detecting an obstacle, thus increasing the risk of injury, the electric car manufacturer has decreed the urgency to proceed with a mandatory firmware update download for 40,000 Model vehicles S and Model X of the period 2017-2021.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW TESLA RECALL
According to what is learned , the recall would be motivated by the fact that the electric cars in question could exhibit problems with power steering on bad roads or after taking a pothole. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US federal road safety agency, said the power steering problem could require more effort when steering, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of accidents.
Tesla, for its part, has admitted that it has received 314 reports for this issue although there is still no evidence that they are related or traceable to the recall. Elon Musk 's electric car brand, however, added that it was not aware of any injuries or deaths related to the problem. The good news is that, as with the previous Tesla recall, the mechanic's intervention may be residual. In fact, the company released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the system on 11 October. As of November 1, over 97% of recalled vehicles have installed an update that has already fixed the problem.
Instead, another Tesla recall is targeting 53 Model S 2021 side exterior mirrors built for the European market and not meeting US "rear visibility" requirements. In this case, the intervention of authorized mechanics will be required.
THE INVESTIGATION OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
But there is another front that probably worries the US company more. According to Reuters , the US Department of Justice has for over a year launched an investigation into the Elon Musk house in an attempt to shed light on the nature of the accidents that occurred with the Autopilot assisted driving system active.
Reuters emphasizes that a video currently on the company's website states: “The person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons. He's not doing anything. The car drives itself ". This despite the fact that the law requires that the driver must always keep his hands on the steering wheel and remain alert while using the Autopilot.
Although in many other parts of the material that Tesla releases to users, the US brand gives the correct indications, and that in an interview with Automotive News in 2020, Musk stated that the Autopilot problems derive from the use of the system by of customers contrary to the instructions of the House, the newspaper instills the suspicion that it is part of the informative material, combined with the bombastic statements of the CEO (which many worship and follow like a guru) to push the driver to get excessively distracted, while the technology on-board, experimental and constantly evolving (the AI feeds on data collected globally which are then used to improve its performance) still needs constant assistance, not only because the highway code requires it.
MEANWHILE MUSK SELLS 4 BILLION SHARES
On the markets, the news of the day, however, is the one that was anticipated at the beginning, namely the sale by Musk of 19.5 million Tesla shares worth 3.95 billion dollars. Most analysts believe the deal is linked to the recent Twitter purchase (which has to pay nearly $ 1.2 billion in annual interest).
Last August, Musk said he had closed the sale of Tesla stock and that it was important to avoid an "emergency sale" of the coupons, but now, with the deal closed (a $ 44 billion deal), it is time to put money on the table. And if it is known that the South African entrepreneur has formed a consortium to win the social network, it is still necessary to understand how he will intend to find his share.
If we add to this that there are numerous companies, not only in the automotive sector , that have suspended the ad on Twitter waiting to understand what will become of the alleged freedom of the blue bird "freed" by Musk and that among various investors the doubt that the former startupper is now distracted by other fronts, the financial stability of the tycoon could suffer some shocks in the short term.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/sbandata-di-tesla-richiamate-40mila-vetture-cosa-e-successo/ on Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:11:23 +0000.