The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
What if this hadn't been purposeful but an accidental blast... and the doors auto-locked someone inside? Do you need Musk's personal cell number to be able to get out alive? What even is this?
Seriously, how are Tesla's not widely considered dangerous deathtraps at this point.
Cybertrucks have a lot of problems, but this seemed to be a clearly intentional explosion by somebody.
That aside, can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles remotely and access all the camera footage on it? That seems like a much bigger problem, especially since Mr. Musk is practically our next president.
Then I wonder why not all Teslas are banned in Europe. Damn. I wish they were. Whenever I see a Tesla, no matter if I'm a pedestrian, cyclist, bus rider or driving a car, I always assume they can do unexpected things. Be it the "drivers" using auto-park features which crashes the "car" through a bush, nearly bumping my (parked) car (that was actually scary to watch), unproven and unfinished security features kicking in or the "car" just breaking down (speeding up uncontrollably, steering wheel breaking off, etc.). All of those are things Tesla's death machines do, that others don't. I feel safer in a 20 year old Ford or a VW T1 Bus than I would in a Tesla.
Whenever i see one I have no choice but to yell out “elon musk is a fucking cunt” at the top of my lungs. And it really sucks because i hate saying that chud’s name and prefer to call him “space karen”
Tesla employees passed around videos taken in car owners’ private garages and other interesting recordings captured by the cameras built in to the company’s vehicles, Reuters reported today. “We could see them doing laundry and really intimate things. We could see their kids,” according to one of nine former employees who told the news agency about the practice.
Can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles thirdly and access the video
Almost always yes, but it's the same for any modern car
Tesla allows owners to opt out of online services, in which case the video is stored locally briefly and Tesla cannot see anything from the car or do anything to it
Tesla employees got in trouble years ago for sharing sexy videos from random Tesla car drivers and passengers
So don't do anything in or near a Tesla you wouldn't want seen by randoms
If the car has internet connectivity and an app, then the answer to that question is yes, because that's how the apps work.
And I very much doubt you can find a manufacturer that promises that they definitely don't ever access that functionality or data for any reason whatsoever, especially if the cops or a court orders them to.
I don't trust Elon, so I don't trust Tesla. If I would get one for free, I would immediately sell it. I'm not against electric cars in general by the way.
I don't trust Elon, but I bought my Tesla before he unmasked himself, while I saw him as the guy who made electric cars cool and rockets reusable, and I still think it's a good, well made, and reliable car
My trust is increased by the recalls the cybertruck has had, as it shows the company is responsive to problems and of course it'll have problems being a new vehicle with a new battery using new technology.
So sure Musk sucks, but I still like the cars and rockets
I don't like JK Rowling either, but the Harry Potter stories are fine
Do they? Or is that just an extension of the right wing rumor that EVs explode more often than gas cars?
Cybertrucks are super fucking shitty, but for a lot of other reasons. Shitty to no QA, panels that are not properly attached, incredibly low visibility (even for a truck), undersized drive train components, and low actual utility to name a few. Oh, and everything that Elon is
If I wasn't just so very, very tired, I would find amusement in how this story is going back and forth. "Haha, cybertruck exploded! Stupid Elon!" "Oh, it had a bomb, it was a deliberate explosion. And the cybertruck's structure stopped anyone outside it from getting hurt..." silence "Ah! It auto-locked, something about cybertruck we can criticize! Stupid Elon!"
And people complain about the "tribalism" in politics these days.
Every car brand does this. Tesla is pretty close to unique in allowing owners to opt out, but nearly no one does
Tesla uses attentiveness data as part of their safety assessment of drivers for setting premiums for Tesla insurance as well as to ensure the driver is watching the road while the car is driving itself
The computers and telemetry systems aren’t near the part that exploded. Assuming they failed at all, they (and the vehicle itself) probably would’ve remained functional for a while after the blast
The car would lock shortly after it's key RFID card was removed from it's reader or phone key went out of range or offline
They can always be opened from inside either electronically or manually
I'm pretty sure the vehicle's warranty was voided when the driver detonated a bomb in the cargo area and shot himself, and they're not telling us whether it was the blast disturbing the key card or the fire deactivating the phone key, anyway it's interesting the vehicle could be remote unlocked after that blast and fire
Serious answer: The front doors have easily accessible manual releases. Unless there is damage to the door frame/mechanism, it is trivial to get out of a Tesla with no power. These work even if the door is locked, since the lock is implemented in software
Too bad those "easily accessible manual releases" aren't the actual door handle and are hidden so well you'd never find them if you were unfamiliar with the vehicle.
They’re right in front of the window switches, and in my experience, unfamiliar passengers are more likely to use the manual door release than the actual door button. They’re actually too easy to find, in my opinion, but that’s probably for the best
There’s nothing special about the Tesla door in that regard, so it is possible for it to become mechanically warped/obstructed in an accident or fire just like any other car door
I don’t see that as a design failure. I actually really like them. Electronic door controls both inside and out, plus a mechanical backup only inside. It’s not a perfect design, but neither are mechanical door controls. It’s also not unique to Tesla: many other cars have electronic door actuators with software locks