Semi Crashes Into Tesla Model 3 On Autopilot, Pushes It For Half Mile

The truck driver never saw the Model 3 and had no idea he was pushing the electric car down the highway.

By: Steven Loveday

Oct 17, 2021 at 9:36am ET

Comment

We've got another intriguing video from Wham Baam Teslacam. The leading story is about a Tesla Model 3, which was reportedly on Autopilot when a semi-truck clipped the electric car's rear end while making an unsuspected lane change.

The Model 3 driver said he was driving past the semi-truck in the right lane. The truck had been driving in the left lane for some time, according to the Tesla owner. The Model 3 driver proceeded in the right lane, eventually passing by the semi. However, right before the Tesla was completely past the truck, the semi changed lanes to the right and clipped the rear of the car.

Clipping the rear of the Model 3 caused it to spin out and end up in front of the semi. Similar to how you might imagine a cowcatcher on a train, the semi proceeded to push the Model 3 down the highway in "t-bone" fashion.

Fortunately, rather than the truck deflecting the car and potentially causing the situation to become worse, the two stayed attached for about half a mile, and it seems somehow the truck driver was unaware. The truck driver eventually stopped because he felt there might be something wrong with the semi. He could feel some resistance but he never saw the Model 3.

As far as Autopilot was concerned, the Model 3 driver says it alerted him when the truck was about to clip the rear, but it was too late to react. He also said the Model 3 tried to steer away, but the force of the truck moving at 70 mph was too much for the car to overcome.

The truck driver was found to be at fault, and fortunately, the Model 3 driver was okay. However, he had to wait months for the car to be repaired, and the damage to the car totaled a whopping $20,000.

The video also includes many other interesting TeslaCam Stories. Check it out and then leave us a comment below.