A Tesla test car was driving 119kph on a Florida highway with its autopilot on when it slid under a tractor-trailer, killing the car's driver in a crash that the auto industry fears will dampen interest in the coming generation of driverless cars.
The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released Tuesday draws no conclusion about the cause of the May 7 crash that killed Tesla test driver Joshua Brown, 40.
Although the Tesla autopilot system, which takes control of braking and steering in certain circumstances, is less sophisticated than what is envisioned for autonomous cars, its failure was linked to more complex systems of the future.
The autopilot uses sensors and a forward-facing camera to operate the car and is designed primarily for use on highways. That's where Brown was driving - U.S. 27 west of Williston - when a tractor-trailer turning left crossed into the car's path. The sensors and camera did not recognise the truck and apply the brakes, so the car drove under the trailer, which was filled with blueberries. The car was going 12.8 kph above the posted speed limit.
Afterward, Tesla issued a statement that said, "Neither autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor-trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied."
