Tesla Model 3 cars have been banned by a taxi firm in Paris.
Tesla Model 3 cars banned by Paris taxi firm
G7, the largest taxi company in the French capital, has suspended the use of any Tesla Model 3 vehicles in its fleet after one was involved in a fatal accident in Paris over the weekend.
The crash resulted in the death of one person and a further 20 were left injured, after the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Tesla – which is owned by Elon Musk – has denied any technical fault with the Model 3 car, which has some limited self-driving features such as automatic steering.
Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into charges of manslaughter and unintentional injury, but France's Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari has also said there was no suggestion, at this stage, that the accident was linked to a technical problem.
The accident involved an off-duty taxi driver who had been taking his family to a restaurant, reports say.
French media said the vehicle struck two pedestrians, a traffic light and a van.
Tesla’s assistive technology allows vehicles to automatically steer, accelerate, and break – but the firm has been accused of being misleading, since the technology does not automatically drive the car, and drivers are required to maintain control and attention at all times.
Tesla has marketed the feature as an "Autopilot" and promised "full self-driving", which is now available to some users in a beta version.