Tesla EV erupts into flame in this country killing four. Know more

A Tesla electric car erupted into flames in Western France on Saturday, killing four people. The accident took place outside the city of Niort. The Tesla EV was reportedly driving at high speed and lost control eventually. The car rammed into several road signs and subsequently caught fire. The driver and three passengers onboard, who were employees at a restaurant in nearby Melle, were all dead when rescuers arrived at the spot.

An inquiry has been opened to determine the cause and circumstances of the accident. “An inquiry has been opened to determine the causes and circumstances of the deadly accident, a probe during which expertise on the vehicle will be requested," a judge told the news agency AFP.

This is not the first time a Tesla electric car caught fire or made headlines for the wrong reasons. Previously as well, in fact, several times Tesla cars have been reported of erupting into flames in different countries across the world. Also, the electric car manufacturer's famous semi-autonomous driving aid technology Autopilot has been accused of being a glitchy one. In many cases, it has been found that the technology acted erroneously, resulting in severe accidents, in some cases even killing the occupants. In a nutshell, Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have been criticised several times for overlooking the safety aspects of the electric cars made by the automaker.

In the recent past, in April this year, Tesla settled with the family of an engineer who was killed when a Tesla Model X crashed in Silicon Valley in 2018. By settling this, Tesla avoided a trial.

In December last year, Tesla recalled more than 20 lakh vehicles in the United States and Canada because of risks associated with the autopilot software and a potentially increased risk of a collision.

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