What We’re Reading
May 11, 2022
NTSB looking at Tesla Crash into Convention Center that Caused up to $350,000 Damage (The Columbus Dispatch, May 6, 2022)
Last week, a Yellow Cab Tesla reportedly exited a downtown highway, ran a red light, and hit a curb before sailing over concrete barriers and directly into the side of the Greater Columbus Convention Center—at speeds in excess of 70 mph. Although the driver was cited for failure to control, he told police that the Tesla’s brakes had failed. The NTSB is investigating.
This report has us curious about several things, but two stand out. First, how many Tesla taxis are driving around Columbus? The answer is at least ten. In 2019, the Columbus Yellow Cab company purchased ten Tesla Model 3 vehicles using $30,000 in rebate funding from Smart Columbus, adding to ten other EVs already in the fleet. Second, will any of the involved parties request that Tesla provide the Vehicle Performance Data (VPD) from the collision? Particularly in a case like this where there are more questions than answers, VPD can bring much needed clarity.
Tesla recalls 130,000 vehicles due to CPU overheating, but the fix is again a software update (Electrek, May 10, 2022)
While not necessarily presenting a safety risk, the CPU overheating issue that prompted this recall apparently can affect critical functions like preventing the center screen from displaying the rearview camera image. As with other recent recalls, Tesla plans to perform an over-the-air software update on the 129,960 affected vehicles. As the author notes, although Tesla recalls are frequently sensationalized by some media outlets, Tesla’s ability to perform over-the-air updates to address recalls “highlights one of Tesla’s biggest advantages over the rest of the industry: the high level of connectivity in its vehicles, and its lack of reliance on third-party dealers to service them.”
Navigating the Data Privacy Landscape for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles: Documenting Collected Data (The National Law Review, May 5, 2022)
With great connectivity, comes great data.
This second part of a multi-part series identifies the vast amount of data autonomous vehicles require to operate safely, grouping that data into “type (sensor, image) and category (location, driving).” At the same time, the authors caution that correct handling of these data groups is crucial to protecting individuals’ privacy interests in their movement, preferences, and identities.
In part one of the series, the authors discuss best practices for developing data handling policies and procedures that “balance compliance, safety, consumer protections and opportunities for commercial success against a patchwork of federal and state regulations.”
We agree that various interests must be balanced in considering how to deal with the increasing volume and type of data generated by consumer vehicles. High among them should be access and transparency.