Can Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode be trusted?
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2024
⏱️ 27 minutes
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Summary
Today, as automakers race toward a driverless future, The Post’s technology reporter Trisha Thadani breaks down a Post investigation into a 2022 car crash in Colorado and the questions it raises about new self-driving technology on the road now.
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In May of 2022, Hans von Ohain and his friend Erik Rossiter went golfing in Evergreen, Colo. Hans showed off his Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving mode. The friends shared drinks and played 21 holes of golf.
But Hans never made it home. On the drive back along a curvy mountain road, Hans and his Tesla swerved into a tree and burst into flames. Erik survived. Hans died in the fire.
When Post technology reporter Trisha Thadani learned of the accident, it surprised her. First, if Full Self-Driving mode was engaged when the car crashed, it would be the first confirmed fatality connected to the technology. Then she discovered that Hans was a Tesla employee.
Today on “Post Reports,” Trisha breaks down what she and a team of reporters learned about the moments leading up to the fatal crash and the bigger conversation about safety regulations on autonomous driving technology.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Maggie Penman. The reporters who Trisha Thadani worked with on the Tesla investigation include Faiz Siddiqui, Rachel Lerman, Julia Wall and Whitney Shefte.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On the day that Hans Von O'Hane died, him and his neighbor Eric Rossiter decided to go play golf as they frequently did together their neighbors and really close friends. |
| 0:13.4 | Tricia Thadani is a technology reporter at the post. |
| 0:16.7 | Lately, she's been investigating what happened on this day in May 2022, |
| 0:21.6 | when Hans and Eric met up at Hans's place in Evergreen, Colorado. |
| 0:26.0 | Here's Eric. |
| 0:27.0 | I go to load my golf clubs into my car because we always took my car and sometimes we would go fish and after golf and he goes well you |
| 0:33.8 | want to take the Tesla? Hans had over the last couple of months he had gotten this |
| 0:38.8 | new feature on his car on on his Tesla called full self-driving and he was excited to show it off to Eric. |
| 0:48.0 | On the way to the golf course, Eric had told us that repeatedly the car was veering off |
| 0:52.4 | the road, Hans had to constantly fix it. |
| 0:55.6 | And so it was kind of like, my trust is in this vehicle and Hans and he trusts this car with his |
| 1:00.8 | kid and his wife and so I was just long for the ride. |
| 1:04.3 | So they went to the golf course and over the course of 21 holes of golf they were |
| 1:09.9 | drinking they were having a great time. |
| 1:12.7 | Apparently Hans had one of the best rounds of golf |
| 1:15.2 | that he had ever had that day. |
| 1:17.3 | An investigation would later show that both of them |
| 1:20.2 | were legally intoxicated by the end of the day. |
| 1:23.0 | Eric told us that Han seemed completely composed when he got behind the wheel. |
| 1:27.0 | And then we made our way back up the canyon. |
| 1:31.0 | I was definitely in no condition to drive. |
| 1:34.0 | So, you know, the memory is a little fuzzy, I guess. |
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