

News
Tesla issues statement on fatal Model X crash as NTSB opens investigation
Tesla has opened up on what it knows so far about the fatal Model X crash that occurred last week near Mountain View, CA. According to the company, the ill-fated vehicle’s logs have not been retrieved yet due to the severity of the crash, but it is proactively cooperating with authorities to investigate the tragic accident.
The company noted that Tesla owners have driven over the same stretch of road where the fatal accident occurred about 85,000 times on Autopilot since the advanced driver-assist system was introduced back in 2015. Tesla vehicles on Autopilot have passed through the same area 20,000 times, and roughly 200 successful Autopilot trips are completed on the same stretch of road every day, notes the Silicon Valley-based electric carmaker.
The damage to the vehicle was extensive, with Tesla stating that it had not seen “this level of damage to a Model X” prior to last week’s fatal accident. Based on pictures taken from the aftermath of the crash, the entire front of the Model X was ripped off from the impact.
According to Tesla, one of the reasons behind this damage is that the crash attenuator — a safety barrier designed to reduce the damage to vehicles during road accidents — had not been replaced prior to the crash. Crash attenuators, also known as crash cushions and impact cushions, absorb and reduce the impact to a vehicle in the event of an accident.
In the case of the ill-fated Model X, however, the crash cushion was all but gone, causing the electric SUV to hit the concrete barrier. A comparison of the state of the crash attenuator could be seen below, with the left image being taken from Google street view and the right image being taken from a dashcam footage a day before the Model X accident.
- The aftermath of a fatal Tesla Model X accident. (Credit: Mercury News/Twitter)
- The aftermath of a fatal Tesla Model X accident. [Credit: Dean C. Smith/Twitter]
- The aftermath of a fatal Tesla Model X accident. [Credit: Dean C. Smith/Twitter]
- The aftermath of a fatal Tesla Model X accident. [Credit: Dean C. Smith/Twitter]
- The aftermath of a fatal Tesla Model X accident. (Credit: ABC News Radio/Twitter)
The batteries of the Model X caught fire in the immediate aftermath of the accident. In Tesla’s blog post, the company asserted that its vehicles’ battery packs are designed in a way that when a fire does occur, the flames spread slowly to give the car’s passengers time to exit the vehicle. As noted by the company, this appears to be the case during the accident, as there were no occupants on the Model X when its batteries caught fire.
Tesla expressed its sympathy to the family of the ill-fated Model X’s driver. The man was retrieved from his vehicle and taken to a medical facility, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries. Tesla has not released the name of the Model X’s driver, out of respect for the man’s family.
The National Transport Safety Board recently announced that it is sending two of its investigators to conduct a field investigation to study the fatal Model X crash. According to the NTSB, its investigators will look into factors involving the accident, including the post-crash fire from the car’s batteries.
2 NTSB investigators conducting Field Investigation for fatal March 23, 2018, crash of a Tesla near Mountain View, CA. Unclear if automated control system was active at time of crash. Issues examined include: post-crash fire, steps to make vehicle safe for removal from scene.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) March 27, 2018
The Tesla Model X has a 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The electric SUV is equipped with 12 airbags and a huge crumple zone on the front, thanks to the absence of an internal combustion engine. Just last December, we reported on a Model X that got T-boned in a traffic accident in Dayton, Ohio. While the collision was severe, the Model X’s driver was able to walk away from the crash unharmed.
Elon Musk
Tesla to launch in India in July with vehicles already arriving: report
Tesla is finally making serious moves toward launching in India, with showrooms opening in July, a report claims.

Tesla is finally bringing its business to India, a new report indicates, as the company is already shipping vehicles from China to the market where it has attempted to launch business for several years.
We first heard of Tesla planning to launch in India about a decade ago when CEO Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in California at the Fremont Factory in 2015.
Over the years, the two have hinted that the automaker would eventually land in India, but issues with import duties have delayed Tesla’s attempts.
Now, there seems to be some serious movement in Tesla’s plans, as it has reportedly shipped the first batch of vehicles from China to India, according to Bloomberg. The outlet says these are Model Y Rear-Wheel-Drive configurations.
Tesla is also planning for other parts of the launch, like preparing for Supercharging, aftermarket parts and merchandise purchasing for vehicle owners and fans, and spare parts from various regions, including the United States, China, and the Netherlands.
The company and the Indian government must have come to some sort of agreement that was catalyzed by Musk and Modi’s meeting in February in the U.S.
It is a long time coming, and it now gives Tesla access to an incredibly vast market in India, where a very small percentage of 2024’s total automotive sales were comprised of electric vehicles.
Another interesting tidbit about the launch is that the vehicles will be coming from Gigafactory Shanghai and not Gigafactory Berlin as previously thought. Reports from other publications, like Reuters, indicated the German production facility was building vehicles for India early last year.
India has a very strict policy that favors domestic manufacturing, which is why the import duties were so high for foreign automakers looking to bring their product into the market. These duties were reduced from 110 percent to just 15 percent, as long as companies aim to invest in India and meet certain investment and sales targets.
News
SpaceX and Elon Musk share insights on Starship Ship 36’s RUD
Starship Ship 36 experienced a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly during a static fire attempt.

Elon Musk and SpaceX provided an explanation for the Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) of Starship Ship 36 on Wednesday. As per Musk, preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) in the vehicle’s payload bay failed below its proof pressure.
On Wednesday evening, Ship 36 experienced a RUD during a static fire attempt. Videos of the incident that were shared online showed Starship Ship 36 exploding into a massive fireball at its launchpad in Starbase, Texas. Images taken in the aftermath of the explosion showed significant damage to the plumbing in the area. The site’s pad structure was also destroyed.
Elon Musk shared some information immediately after the incident. In a response to a post from space enthusiast @Erdayastronaut, Musk stated that “Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure.”
Musk also noted that, “If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”
SpaceX provided more insight into the incident in a post on its official website.
“After completing a single-engine static fire earlier this week, the vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand.
“The explosion ignited several fires at the test site, which remains clear of personnel and will be assessed once it has been determined to be safe to approach. Individuals should not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,” SpaceX wrote in its post.
SpaceX highlighted that despite Starship Ship 36’s RUD, the incident will not result in any hazards to the surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley. And in a post on X, SpaceX also confirmed that everyone in the Starship team was safe and accounted for after Ship 36’s explosion.
While Ship 36’s RUD is a speed bump for the Starship program, SpaceX is a company that is known to grow stronger with every adversity. Thus, it would not be surprising if SpaceX implemented numerous improvements to Starship after this incident–improvements that would make the vehicle more reliable and safer than before.
News
Tesla has started rolling out initial round of Robotaxi invites
Tesla is putting safety above all in its initial Robotaxi rollout.

Tesla has started rolling out an initial round of invites for its upcoming Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
Screenshots shared by several Tesla community members who received the invites provided a quick overview of the autonomous ride-hailing service.
As noted in a techAU report, the initial round of Robotaxi service invites has gone to longtime Tesla owners and active members of the EV community. These include owners such as @SawyerMerritt, @BLKMDL3, @WholeMarsBlog, @ItsKimJava, and @HerbertOng, all of whom shared screenshots of the invitation that Tesla has sent about the upcoming service.
You’re Invited to Early Access of Tesla Robotaxi!
The Future is Now! You’re invited to Early Access of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, TX!
As an Early Access rider, you can be among the first to use our new Robotaxi App and experience an autonomous ride within our geofenced area in Austin. Through this exclusive preview, you’ll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our Robotaxi service.
Based on Tesla’s message, it appears that participation in the service would be strictly invite-only for now. Participants must also download Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi App to hail a ride. Rides can also be requested and initiated to and from any location within a geofenced area of Austin.
The robotaxi service will be available from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM, seven days a week, though these hours may change depending on factors such as inclement weather. Interestingly enough, Tesla is inviting the first participants of the Robotaxi program to share photos and videos of their experience with the service.
While the vehicles themselves are autonomous and would operate without human input, the Robotaxis would still be accompanied by a Tesla staff member to monitor the vehicle. This strategy suggests that Tesla is really putting safety above all in its initial Robotaxi rollout.
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