Shocking moment Tesla Model 3 'on Autopilot mode' crashes into a truck on Taiwan highway

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Security cameras watching a highway in Taiwan captured the moment a white Tesla Model 3 vehicle plowed into truck that was rolled over on its side.

Reports say the driver of the Tesla did not see the overturned truck while cruising with the Autopilot driver assistant feature activated.

The footage also shows that the car’s emergency automatic braking system was applied at the last second, due to smoke coming from the tires moments before the collision.

An image of the aftermath shows the entire front-end of the Tesla pierced through the roof of the truck, but reports note that neither of the drivers were injured. 

The Tesla Model 3 crashed into and embedded inside the container of the overturned lorry

The bonnet of the Tesla went straight through the roof of the lorry after it flipped over 

Tesla's Autopilot features allow the vehicle to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within a lane.

Drivers can disengage Autopilot in the vehicle by pushing up a stalk near the steering wheel or by tapping the brakes. They can also take control of the steering wheel to switch away from Autopilot.

However, the feature was allegedly active during the incident that occurred in the morning hours on the Taiwan highway on Sunday, May 31.  

The security footage shows a commercial truck had rolled over on to its side and covered two lanes on Sunday.

A few moments later, a white Tesla Model 3 can be seen driving towards the truck and in seconds collides with the overturned vehicle.

The impact of force during the crash was so great that the truck shook when the Tesla smashed into it, reports SETN a local Taiwan news source.

‘There is no drunk driving situation, and the relevant transcripts have been completed so far, and the two parties have to face the subsequent compensation matters,’ SETN reports (translated).

The local media source also noted that the driver said the auxiliary system was activated and the self-driving state was not adopted.

Security cameras watching a highway in Taiwan captured the moment a Tesla Model 3 vehicle plowing into truck that was rolled over on its side

The Tesla appeared to have suffered some significant body damage to its bonnet and door panels in the crash

The Tesla was covered in a liquid after the crash, presumably related to the contents of the lorry it ploughed through

Although it is not yet clear what the driver’s statement entails, it is believed the Tesla was running with some of the Autopilot features on at the time of the crash.

And although the emergency brake system appears to have been activated, it was not soon enough to bring the Model 3 to a halt. 

Tesla's Autopilot system has been referred to as a 'half-baked, non-market-ready product that requires the constant collection of data in order to improve upon the existing virtual world that Tesla is trying to create.' 

There have been thousands of reports from Tesla owners revealing the many close calls they have had while driving on Autopilot.

As part of a four-part series, Bloomberg surveyed 5,000 Model 3 owners about their experiences with Tesla's software for automated driving for parking lots and highways last year.

Reports say the driver of the Tesla did not see the overturned Truck while cruising with the Autopilot driver assistant feature activated

The footage also shows that the car’s emergency automatic braking system was applied at the last second, due to smoke coming from the tires moments before the collision

Of that number, 1,600 people shared their close calls with the Autopilot feature that Tesla CEO Elon Musk says will lead the world into a new era of transportation.

The stories illustrate the gray area in which the Tesla Autopilot feature finds itself as customers enter a period of automated-driving.

The feature can perform lifesaving maneuvers and just as quickly glitch in ways that can put drivers in danger.

One Model 3 owner from Alabama described the moment he was driving down a clear highway, with a state trooper cruising right behind him, when the Autopilot sensors suddenly triggered the brakes.

Only the driver's quick thinking prevented a rear-end accident when the Tesla owner jammed his foot on the accelerator to override the system.

In Florida, a Model 3 driver had a wildly different experience and was saved by his vehicle.

Pictured: a Bloomberg graphic that illustrates surveyors thoughts on the Autopilot feature in Model 3 vehicles 

Reports say the driver of the Tesla did not see the overturned Truck while cruising with the Autopilot driver assistant feature activated. Pictured is after the Tesla collides with the truck, which sent debris into the air

The driver describes his car inexplicably braking due to the Autopilot feature.

The car in front of them swerved out of the lane and revealed a stopped car was sitting in the lane.

The Tesla's sensors had detected the hazard from afar and avoided the crash with no human input.

According to the survey, 13 percent of owners say Autopilot has put them in danger while 28 percent say it has saved them from dangerous situations.

Six drivers admit Autopilot has contributed to a collision, while nine owners say the system helped keep them alive.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours on Sunday, May 31 and no injuries were reported. Thousands of Tesla Model 3 (pictured) owners revealed in a 2019 survey their experiences with the vehicle's autopilot feature in a Bloomberg survey

Hundreds of owners shared dangerous system behaviors they experienced while on Autopilot, including phantom breaking, failing to stop for a road hazard and veering.

A driver in California said: 'During one of its automatic lane changes into a lane behind a semi, it SLAMMED on my brakes for no reason. The cars behind me managed to avoid rear ending me.'

Another said: 'It seemed to make risky choices whenever an unusual situation arises, like a missing lane line or a truck merging suddenly into your lane.'

'Sometimes it catches a car on a different lane and, if that car is going significantly slower, will break violently,' a driver in Minnesota said.

Other owners had more positive episodes.

Approximately 70 percent of Bloomberg surveyors believe the 'Smart Summon' feature is useful while less than half think it is reliable

Hundreds of owners shared dangerous system behaviors they experienced while on Autopilot, including phantom breaking, failing to stop for a road hazard and veering.

A driver in California said: 'During one of its automatic lane changes into a lane behind a semi, it SLAMMED on my brakes for no reason. The cars behind me managed to avoid rear ending me.'

Another said: 'It seemed to make risky choices whenever an unusual situation arises, like a missing lane line or a truck merging suddenly into your lane.'

'Sometimes it catches a car on a different lane and, if that car is going significantly slower, will break violently,' a driver in Minnesota said.

Timeline of fatal crashes tied to Tesla Autopilot

January 20, 2016 in China: Gao Yaning, 23, died when the Tesla Model S he was driving slammed into a road sweeper on a highway near Handan, a city about 300 miles south of Beijing. Chinese media reported that Autopilot was engaged.

Joshua D. Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio died in an Autopilot crash in May 2016

May 7, 2016 in Williston, Florida: Joshua D. Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio died when cameras in his Tesla Model S failed to distinguish the white side of a turning tractor-trailer from a brightly lit sky.

The NTSB found that the truck driver’s failure to yield the right of way and a car driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation were the probable cause of the crash.

The NTSB also noted that Tesla Autopilot permitted the car driver to become dangerously disengaged with driving. A DVD player and Harry Potter movies were found in the car.

March 23, 2018 in Mountain View, California: Apple software engineer Walter Huang, 38, died in a crash on U.S. Highway 101 with the Autopilot on his Tesla engaged.

The vehicle accelerated to 71 mph seconds before crashing into a freeway barrier, federal investigators found. 

The NTSB, in a preliminary report on the crash, also said that data shows the Model X SUV did not brake or try to steer around the barrier in the three seconds before the crash in Silicon Valley. 

Crash scene photos show the wreck on March 23, 2018 in Mountain View, California 

March 1, 2019 in Delray, Florida: Jeremy Banner, 50, died when his 2018 Tesla Model 3 slammed into a semi-truck.

NTSB investigators said Banner turned on the autopilot feature about 10 seconds before the crash, and the autopilot did not execute any evasive maneuvers to avoid the crash.