By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 25 Feb 2024, 15:45 PM
VinFast is currently in the process of constructing a manufacturing facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The company has urged the Indian gov
…
VinFast is currently in the process of constructing a manufacturing facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The company has urged the Indian government to reconsider the 100% import duty on fully-built EVs.
Vinfast has urged the Indian government to reconsider the 100% import duty on fully-built EVs. (Bloomberg)
Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast has approached the Indian government with a request to temporarily reduce import duties on its cars for approximately two years, a report by Reuters stated. This move aims to facilitate customer acceptance of VinFast’s products until the company’s local manufacturing plant becomes operational.
The request aligns with VinFast’s strategy to establish a presence in India, similar to the approach taken by American EV giant Tesla, which had also expressed interest in a duty reduction but faced a denial from the Indian government.
VinFast is currently in the process of constructing a manufacturing facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The company’s India CEO, Pham Sanh Chau, has indicated that production is slated to commence by mid-2023, initially focusing on domestic sales before venturing into exports. VinFast’s investment plans in Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the state government, entail a total investment of up to $2 billion, with an initial commitment of $500 million for the first five years of operations.
VinFast, akin to Tesla, has urged the Indian government to reconsider the 100% import duty on fully-built EVs, a stance that has been met with opposition from domestic automakers. While India, as the world’s third-largest vehicle market, is contemplating the requests, no definitive decision has been reached yet, as per a government official.
Chau highlighted VinFast’s proposal for a temporary reduction in import duty, suggesting bringing it down to 70% to 80% for a limited number of cars over two years. This approach, he believes, will help Indian customers acclimatise to VinFast’s offerings. While the central government deliberates on this proposal, VinFast remains committed to advancing its manufacturing facility’s construction.
India’s EV market is still nascent, accounting for just about 2% of total car sales in the previous year. However, the federal government has set an ambitious target of achieving a 30% market share for EVs by 2030, and is actively working on programs to attract EV manufacturers.
VinFast’s Tamil Nadu project is expected to have an annual capacity of up to 150,000 vehicles, complementing its main plant in Vietnam with a capacity of 250,000 vehicles annually. The company is already collaborating with around 55 Indian dealers to establish a robust sales network and is also considering introducing its two-wheeler models in the country in the future.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 07 Jan 2024, 21:53 PM
VinFast will establish EV and battery manufacturing facilities in Thoothukudi and says these will generate around 3,500 jobs.
Officials from VinFast are seen here with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the signing of a joint agreement between the EV maker and the state government. (CMO, Tamil Nadu)
VinFast is fast emerging as a name and brand to reckon with in the world of electric vehicles (EVs). The company from Vietnam has already expanded its presence across many markets across the world, including the United States, and has now confirmed its India entry via a mammoth $2 billion investment into EV facilities in Tamil Nadu.
In an official statement, Vinfast announced it has an intended commitment of $500 million for the first five years of the project and that it has signed a joint agreement with the state government of Tamil Nadu. The construction of a battery plant and a facility to manufacture EVs will begin from this calendar year itself – in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi – and once both are fully functional, will generate up to 3,500 jobs in the state.
Entering the Indian market at this point in time may be as beneficial for VinFast as it could be to accelerate the EV adoption in India. India is the world’s third largest car market in the world – in terms of sales, but EV penetration is still quite small. What this may mean is enormous potential that VinFast is looking to tap into. And choosing Tamil Nadu as its base of operations in the country is stemming from its assessment that the state has enormous potential to be India’s EV hub. “VinFast Tamil Nadu project aims to evolve into a first-class electric vehicle production hub in the region, with an annual capacity of up to 150,000 units. Construction of the plant is anticipated to begin in 2024. This project is set forth to lay a strong foundation for economic growth in Tamil Nadu and India as a whole,” the company said in its official statement. “Besides the economic benefits, the project will also pave the way for green transportation development, targeting 30% of newly registered private cars to be electric. This aligns with the state government’s initiatives to minimize carbon emissions in the transportation sector.”
File photo of Vinfast VF9 electric vehicle on the opening day of the Geneva International Motor Show that was held in Qatar in 2023. (Bloomberg)
How significant is VinFast in the world of EVs?
VinFast is one of the newer players in the globa EV race and comes from a country that has traditionally not had much to show in terms of its automobile manufacturing capabilities. But the EV game has levelled the play-field significantly, providing opportunities for established automobile champions as well as emerging EV companies.
Founded in 2017 by Pham Nhat Vuong, Vietnam’s first billionaire and who made his riches as a property developer, VinFast has been manufacturing EVs since 2021. It may have only been over two years of manufacturing EVs but VinFast has been busy. The company bought a manufacturing facility from GM in Australia while it is working to open another production hub in Indonesia that is scheduled to start rolling out models from 2026 onwards. It also began shipping its EVs to the US in early 2023 and opened its first dealership in the country last month. It is also establishing a manufacturing plant in North Carolina and is investing $4 billion in the country.
What kind of EVs does VinFast offer at present?
VinFast EV models are quite striking in their exterior design language even if the specifications are not the best in the industry just yet. The company offers small electric models like VF3 and VF4, as well as large electric SUVs like VF7 and VF9. The likes of VF6 and VF7 are sub-compact and compact SUVs, respectively, while VF8 is a mid-size SUV.
Tesla has long held a place of prominence in the world of electric vehicles (EVs), enjoying a significant lead over all its rivals across the world. But the pedestal on which the US-based manufacturer has long been perched upon is under direct threat from China’s BYD which has now equalled Tesla’s 17 per cent market share in the world of battery electric vehicles or BEVs, as per Counterpoint Research.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 19 Dec 2023, 20:02 PM
BYD is on the hunt and it smells Tesla. Cars like BYD Song (in pic) are helping the Chinese company notch up sales numbers fast.
BYD is a significant player in China’s EV scene and has recently expanded to several overseas markets as well, including India. And unlike Tesla, the company also offers hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), apart from its lineup of BEVs. Tesla, however, only offers BEVs and even here, its global market share is now under serious threat.
What is remarkable is that BYD had a 13 per cent market share in the previous Q3 (for BEVs alone) and was behind the curve to Tesla’s 17 per cent even then. But it has taken some massive strides to catch up and is now poised to shift to top gear and overtake. A key driving factor here may be BYD’s March of 2022 decision to stop production of vehicles that are powered by engines, and focus entirely on BEVs, hybrids and PHEVs. While China remains its biggest market, overseas expansion may also be helping with the additional boost.
Tesla vs BYD: David vs Goliath?
File photo of Tesla Model 3 vehicles rolling out of the company plant in Shanghai. (REUTERS)
Tesla’s rise has been meteoric. It has left established champions of the automotive world, the likes of Toyota, Volkswagen and even the German luxury brands far behind. The Elon Musk-led company has often been compared to David from the Book of Samuel. But BYD may be the new David in town.
Established in 1995 as a company focused on rechargeable nickel–cadmium batteries, BYD eventually established two main subsidiaries – BYD Auto and BYD Electronics. BYD Auto was founded in 2003, the same year as Tesla. The Chinese company entered into production of forklifts, buses, trucks and electric bicycles – not necessarily in that order, before seeing potential in battery-powered four-wheeled vehicles. The potential was also because China was emerging as a big player in the EV category. Today, the country leads the world.
Tesla only entered into the Chinese market in 2017. The Shanghai facility was its first outside of the US and currently supplies the local market as well as select European countries. But while the company remains an enormously popular manufacturer here, BYD has been consistently growing big in its home base while pressing on the expansionist mode as well.
If Tesla has Model 3, its most affordable EV, BYD has Seal. If Tesla has Model Y SUV, BYD has Song EV. Model for model, the competition is hotting up. Tesla is catering to the global audience. BYD is still a largely Chinese market-dependent company. But it is using its local popularity to add winds to its proverbial sails. Will Tesla weather the incoming storm?
India’s Ola Electric has slashed its sales goals for 2023-2025 by more than half and delayed its target of achieving profits by a year, after reduced government incentives pushed up e-scooter prices, according to a document and two sources with direct knowledge of the company’s finances.
By: Reuters | Updated on: 06 Dec 2023, 16:42 PM
Ola Electric, India’s largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer, is planning to cut down its sales targets ahead of its IPO launch.
The scaling back of Ola’s targets comes ahead of its $700 million stock market debut plan, even though the SoftBank-backed company, which likens itself to Tesla in the West, continues to lead the small yet fast growing e-scooter market. In a surprise move in May, India’s government cut cash incentives available for e-scooter buyers without giving an explanation. Ola’s CEO Bhavish Aggarwal at the time said the reduced incentive would be a “short-term blip” for sales, and the company said the move would “have no impact on volumes”.
A document seen by Reuters with Ola’s latest financial projections shows it now expects to record 300,000 e-scooter sales in the ongoing fiscal year to March 2024, two-thirds lower than the earlier goal of 882,000 which Reuters reported in July.
The revenue target for the ongoing fiscal year period is now $591 million, versus the earlier goal of $1.55 billion – a cut of about 60%, according to the internal document.
In a statement, Ola did not acknowledge the document or comment on the cuts to internal forecasts. It said future financial targets were “yet to be verified”.
“This is completely confidential information of the company,” Ola said.
The targets have been lowered because of the government’s lower subsidy, said two sources with direct knowledge of the company’s finances, who declined to be named citing confidentiality.
“The new numbers have been toned down so the company is able to meet or exceed them … that is what investors want to see,” said one of the sources.
EV Goals
While Ola is launching new scooters, parts of its nationwide network of over 400 service hubs which maintain and repair its EVs are showing signs of strain after a surge in sales, Reuters reported last month.
India e-scooters sales nearly tripled to over 700,000 during 2022-23 versus the previous year, with Ola a market leader, but the sales were still a fraction of 15 million plus two-wheelers sold in the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants 70% of all new two-wheeler sales to be electric by 2030. India now offers 15% of the price before tax as incentives for e-scooters, compared with 40% earlier, leading to higher prices.
Before the government incentive cuts, Ola, still loss-making, was expecting to record its first operating profit of $220 million in the ongoing 2023-24 fiscal year. The revised targets in the document show it will record an operating loss of $92 million this year, and a profit of $111 million next year.
Sales will also rise but at a far slower pace than earlier predicted.
Ola will sell 900,000 units in 2024-25 and 2.3 million units in 2025-26, the new document showed. Those targets are 60% and 21% lower than earlier estimates when incentives were in place.
On Saturday, Ola’s Aggarwal slashed prices of his entry-level e-scooter by about 20% to around $1,100 to boost their appeal and bring more people into the EV fold, adding that lower government incentives were not a worry.
“People had feared the e-scooter industry will be hit due to government incentive cuts. Industry has more than recovered,” Aggarwal said.
Tesla reportedly sent out special apparel for the vehicle launch team members of the Cybertruck pickup truck. Tesla Cybertruck is one of the most anticipated electric vehicles in the world. The official launch of the electric pickup truck is inching closer and ahead of that, the automaker has sent out special apparel for the launch team, reported the Cybertruck Owners Club forum.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 02 Oct 2023, 16:27 PM
Tesla Cybertruck is one of the most awaited electric vehicles in the world. (Image: Cybertruck Owners Club)
Tesla has already started production of the Cybertruck pickup truck. However, the production of this pure electric pickup truck with an unusual design has started at a limited number. Tesla plans to ramp up its production numbers from early 2024. However, before that, the official launch event is expected to take place in a few weeks.
A user of the Cybertruck Owners Club forum has shared an image of the official apparel. The apparel comes with the ‘Cybertruck’ word printed on it along with the ‘Launch Team’ words.
Back in April this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that the Cybertruck handover event would happen towards the end of the third quarter. Considering that, the third quarter has been already over. However, given Tesla’s reputation of keeping with the deadlines, that is not very unusual. But now with the apparels sent out to the launch team, we can expect the event to take place in a few weeks. Also, over the last few months, the prototypes of the Tesla Cybertruck spotted have hinted that the EV is in its final phase of testing.
Tesla Cybertruck was first unveiled back in November 2019. Since then, the automaker has set multiple deadlines for the launch of the EV but failed to keep its promises again and again. It was supposed to enter production several times in the past two years, but that never happened, partly because of the global microchip shortage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lexus is benchmarking Tesla for developing its own next-generation electric cars, reported Automotive News. Lexus International President Takashi Watanabe has reportedly said that the Japanese luxury car brand owned by Toyota humbly looks at and learns from Tesla for its own electric cars, as the auto company aims to transform itself as a major EV player later in this decade.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 22 Sep 2023, 13:45 PM
Lexus plans to make its future electric cars using an altered production technique.
Lexus aims to launch a massive EV offensive with multiple electric cars scheduled to go on sale in 2026. However, the task is not easy considering the fact that there are already several players in both the mass-market segment and the luxury segment as well. Watanabe reportedly finds it a difficult mission to steer the brand through a massive EV overhaul.
Lexus is slated to preview its next-generation electric car that will launch in 2026 through a concept debuting at the Japan Mobility Show next month, claimed the report. The next-generation EV will be built on a modular architecture as the automaker has said. It will come with significantly altered production methods and a completely re-imagined software platform as well. “We have also prioritized vehicle design to embody the essence of Lexus,” he reportedly said while also adding that the auto company plans to make it easier to build and simply as much as possible. “One of our first steps will be modifying and rethinking our production methods,” he said.
With the altered production method, Lexus aims to drive down production costs by commoditizing the hardware as much as possible. With this strategy, it is reportedly aiming to compete with global EV leader Tesla and BYD. However, despite Tesla being its possible competitor, Watanabe didn’t shy away from admitting that Lexus has a lot to learn from the US electric car major.
Interestingly, Toyota at one point remained a key partner of Tesla. It would interesting to see if Lexus implements that learning into its own EV projects. The report claims the production technique is being developed by Toyota, from which Lexus will benefit. The production method will include giga-casting hat will greatly reduce the number of components. Also, the cars will reportedly drive themselves through assembly lines.
Tech-loaded cars may offer a lot of convenience to owners, but can also become a data privacy nightmare. Study by a California-based agency reveals that modern cars with connected features through apps and satellite collect massive personal data of the user and share externally. The agency, called Mozilla Foundation, reviewed 25 car brands operating in United States and European countries and found all of them breaching data privacy. The study has raised a debate whether cars should also be monitored for practically spying on the owner.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 14 Sep 2023, 16:57 PM
A Tesla model 3 car on display at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Munich. The world’s most popular car brands are a data privacy nightmare, collecting and selling personal information in an age when driving is going increasingly digital, a study by Mozilla Foundation showed. (AFP)
Nissan, Tesla, Kia, Hyundai Motor, Toyota, Volkswagen and BMW are some of the global brands who have been found breaching data privacy. The study says vague data security standards while using in-car apps, telematics, digital controls can steal personal data. These may include sensitive personal information to sexual activity and more. Almost every car manufacturer studied have admitted that they are collecting such personal information which they share with government or law enforcement agencies.
The survey, called Privacy Not Included, has raised a big concern given that these vehicles are also susceptible to hacking. Jen Caltrider, the study’s research lead, says, “Cars seem to have really flown under the privacy radar and I’m really hoping that we can help remedy that because they are truly awful. Cars have microphones and people have all kinds of sensitive conversations in them. Cars have cameras that face inward and outward.”
The survey also says that cars have the worst data privacy record among dozen other products ranging from connected home appliances like Google or Alexa, fitness trackers to even smart speakers. The survey marked Nissan as the worst among all the brands studied. The survey says the Japanese auto giant is “probably the worst car company we reviewed, and that says something because all car companies are really bad at privacy.” Nissan says it can draw inferences from the data to create user profiles which reflect the the person’s ‘preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes’. The carmaker has also admitted that it can even collect ‘genetic information’ or ‘genetic characteristics’. However, Nissan did not explain how it collects data on sexual activity of its users.
Kia and Hyundai are not too far behind either. Caltrider says, “Kia mentions sex life. General Motors and Ford both mentioned race and sexual orientation. Hyundai said that they could share data with government and law enforcement based on formal or informal requests.”
Tesla also scored high on Mozilla’s “creepiness” index. According to the survey, opting out of data collection in a Tesla car is difficult as its privacy notice says the EV maker may not be able to notify drivers “in real time” of issues that could result in “reduced functionality, serious damage, or inoperability.”
Out of the 25 brands surveyed, 19 said they can sell personal data, while half of them are ready to share these information with governments on request. Renault and Dacia are the only two carmakers who offer drivers to delete all data collected by their cars.
One of China’s largest technology conglomerates Xiaomi could reveal its first electric car by the end of this year, CarScoops reported. The long-awaited electric vehicle received government approval for production last month, though its first images were leaked online in January this year. The company had first announced its plans to produce an EV about two years ago.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 12 Sep 2023, 17:51 PM
Xiaomi’s first electric car appears to be influenced by the design of BYD Seal showcased at the Auto Expo 2023.
The EV has been codenamed MS11 and is called Xiaomi Modena by local media reporters China. As per Car News China, the trial production of the car started last month at a factory in Beijing and the facility is said to be building roughly 50 prototypes each week. Xiaomi is said to be on schedule to receive approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in the coming month or two. Once this approval comes through, it will be able to start selling its electric car.
Once launched, the Xiaomi Modena will rival vehicles such as TeslaModel 3 and BYD Seal with a local starting pricing in the region of 200,000 yuan ($27,400). As per the car’s leaked images, its exterior design is constituted of large LED headlights and relatively simple front bumper. Xiaomi’s first EV is also expected to get flush door handles, a roof-mounted LiDAR, and a panoramic glass roof just like what is found on the Tesla Model 3.
Expect the electric car to come with a massive 101 kWh ternary battery and an 800-volt electrical architecture. It could be able to travel up to 800 kilometres or 497 miles on a single charge. It will be equipped with a self-developed electric motor while its batteries will be provided by CATL and BYD.
Until last year, Хіаоmі hаs invested more than 3 billion уuаn (roughly converted to $433 million) іn іtѕ automotive dіvіѕіоn, with a tеаm оf оvеr 2,300 реорlе deployed in research and development.
Self-driving capability is central to Tesla’s financial future, according to Musk, whose own reputation as an engineering leader is being challenged with allegations by plaintiffs in one of two lawsuits that he personally leads the group behind technology that failed. Wins by Tesla could raise confidence and sales for the software, which costs up to $15,000 per vehicle.
Tesla faces two trials in quick succession, with more to follow. The first, scheduled for mid-September in a California state court, is a civil lawsuit containing allegations that the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee’s Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour, strike a palm tree and burst into flames, all in the span of seconds.
The 2019 crash, which has not been previously reported, killed Lee and seriously injured his two passengers, including a then-8-year old boy who was disemboweled. The lawsuit, filed against Tesla by the passengers and Lee’s estate, accuses Tesla of knowing that Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold the car.
Musk ‘de facto leader of Autopilot team
File photo of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (REUTERS)
The second trial, set for early October in a Florida state court, arose out of a 2019 crash north of Miami where owner Stephen Banner’s Model 3 drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler big rig truck that had pulled into the road, shearing off the Tesla’s roof and killing Banner. Autopilot failed to brake, steer or do anything to avoid the collision, according to the lawsuit filed by Banner’s wife.
Tesla denied liability for both accidents, blamed driver error and said Autopilot is safe when monitored by humans. Tesla said in court documents that drivers must pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel. “There are no self-driving cars on the road today,” the company said.
The civil proceedings will likely reveal new evidence about what Musk and other company officials knew about Autopilot’s capabilities – and any possible deficiencies. Banner’s attorneys, for instance, argue in a pretrial court filing that internal emails show Musk is the Autopilot team’s “de facto leader”.
Tesla and Musk did not respond to Reuters’ emailed questions for this article, but Musk has made no secret of his involvement in self-driving software engineering, often tweeting about his test-driving of a Tesla equipped with “Full Self-Driving” software. He has for years promised that Tesla would achieve self-driving capability only to miss his own targets.
Tesla won a bellwether trial in Los Angeles in April with a strategy of saying that it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” names. The case was about an accident where a Model S swerved into the curb and injured its driver, and jurors told Reuters after the verdict that they believed Tesla warned drivers about its system and driver distraction was to blame.
Stakes higher for Tesla
The stakes for Tesla are much higher in the September and October trials, the first of a series related to Autopilot this year and next, because people died.
“If Tesla backs up a lot of wins in these cases, I think they’re going to get more favorable settlements in other cases,” said Matthew Wansley, a former General Counsel of nuTonomy, an automated driving startup and Associate Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law.
On the other hand, “a big loss for Tesla – especially with a big damages award” could “dramatically shape the narrative going forward,” said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina.
In court filings, the company has argued that Lee consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel and that it is not clear whether Autopilot was on at the time of crash.
Jonathan Michaels, an attorney for the plaintiffs, declined to comment on Tesla’s specific arguments, but said “we’re fully aware of Tesla’s false claims including their shameful attempts to blame the victims for their known defective autopilot system.”
In the Florida case, Banner’s attorneys also filed a motion arguing punitive damages were warranted. The attorneys have deposed several Tesla executives and received internal documents from the company that they said show Musk and engineers were aware of, and did not fix, shortcomings.
In one deposition, former executive Christopher Moore testified there are limitations to Autopilot, saying it “is not designed to detect every possible hazard or every possible obstacle or vehicle that could be on the road,” according to a transcript reviewed by Reuters.
In 2016, a few months after a fatal accident where a Tesla crashed into a semi-trailer truck, Musk told reporters that the automaker was updating Autopilot with improved radar sensors that likely would have prevented the fatality.
But Adam (Nicklas) Gustafsson, a Tesla Autopilot systems engineer who investigated both accidents in Florida, said that in the almost three years between that 2016 crash and Banner’s accident, no changes were made to Autopilot’s systems to account for cross-traffic, according to court documents submitted by plaintiff lawyers.
The lawyers tried to blame the lack of change on Musk. “Elon Musk has acknowledged problems with the Tesla autopilot system not working properly,” according to plaintiffs’ documents. Former Autopilot engineer Richard Baverstock, who was also deposed, stated that “almost everything” he did at Tesla was done at the request of “Elon,” according to the documents.
Tesla filed an emergency motion in court late on Wednesday seeking to keep deposition transcripts of its employees and other documents secret. Banner’s attorney, Lake “Trey” Lytal III, said he would oppose the motion.
“The great thing about our judicial system is Billion Dollar Corporations can only keep secrets for so long,” he wrote in a text message.
Tesla Cybertruck is one of the most awaited electric vehicles coming to the market in a few weeks. The US electric car manufacturer has already started production of the electric pickup truck and it is slated for delivery soon. Over the last few months, Tesla Cybertruck prototypes have been spotted in an increasing numbers ahead of its imminent market entry. The latest of them has revealed an interesting fact about the Cybertruck’s tyre.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 14 Aug 2023, 17:52 PM
Tesla is testing a wider set of tyre options for its upcoming Cybertruck electric pickup truck.
A spy shot of the Tesla Cybertruck posted on Instagram has revealed that the EV manufacturer has been testing the electric pickup truck with more than one tyre size. As the images reveal the tyres appear to have an all-season tread pattern and are sized at 285/65R20. The images also reveal that roughly 35 inches of rubber are wrapped around a 20-inch wheel rim.
The spyshots also reveal the tyres coming with an M+S marking, which means Mud+Snow, confirming that it is an all-season tyre. However, the three-peak mountain with the snowflake symbol is missing from the tyre, which means that it has not been tested and rated for driving in freezing temperatures. The photos also point out an H speed rating, which is usually stamped on sports cars’ tyres. This indicates that the car tyres can sustain speeds of up to 209 kmph.
Interestingly, this is not the first time a Tesla Cybertruck prototype has been spotted with larger asphalt-focused tyres. The tyre pictures that went online recently reveal a look similar to the ones spotted back in 2019 on the original prototype.
The Tesla Cybertruck is currently in the pre-production phase at the automaker’s Texas Gigafactory, with the delivery-intent production expected to commence from next month, and a ramp-up in manufacturing scheduled in early 2024, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed earlier this year.
Over the last few years, several Tesla electric cars have made headlines for reasons that were unexpected and at times, unpleasant. The latest addition to the list of antics performed by Tesla car owners is when an EV bashed through a wall and plunged into a swimming pool. The incident took place in Arizona when a homeowner found the Tesla barreled through his house’s concrete wall and took a dive in the backyard pool, reported AZFamily.
By: HT Auto Desk | Updated on: 06 Aug 2023, 15:10 PM
It is not confirmed if the Tesla EV plunged into the pool because of a driver’s error or some technical glitch. (Image: Youtube/AZFamily)
The report says that despite such a crash into the swimming pool, the Tesla EV’s driver survived without any injury. However, the same can’t be said of the car or the yard it crashed into. The report has further revealed that the police are still searching for the cause of the crash. It is not known if the mishap took place because of the driver’s error or some technical glitch in the car.
The affected homeowner, Joe Papineau, said that he thought that he’d heard an explosion. “I was sleeping in my bed when all of a sudden I hear this huge crash and big explosion,” he said to the local news station. Papineau also said he believes that the Tesla car was passing through the area when another car pulled out in front of him. In a desperate attempt to avoid the accident, the Tesla driver made an evasive manoeuvre but couldn’t recover in time to avoid crashing into the wall and ending in the pool.
The video that emerged online shows the Tesla car has received extensive damage including a demolished windshield. Its front profile got damaged severely. However, the driver reportedly escaped with only minor injuries. There was no other passenger in the car during the time of the accident, the report has further revealed.
