One of the largest Tesla taxi fleets in the world has suspended its Model 3 taxis after a fatal crash that also injured 20. The company is called G7 and it is located in Paris, France. G7 announced the Tesla Model 3 suspension for fear of more accidents. 

After the crash, the taxi company has suspended operating Tesla Model 3 EVs

“As a precautionary measure and in accordance with our procedures, G7 has decided to suspend the 37 drivers affiliated to G7 equipped with the model similar to the vehicle involved, pending the investigation,” a company spokesperson told Le Figaro. According to the taxi driver, there was a “technical issue” when the car accelerated without giving the throttle. He wasn’t injured in the crash. 

After losing control he hit a cyclist and ran over a number of pedestrians. The Tesla finally crashed into a parked van, which stopped it from traveling farther. Three of the injured pedestrians were listed in critical condition. Tesla France, in a statement, says there is nothing to indicate a technical defect occurred. 

Besides the 37 Model 3 taxis, G7 also has 50 Tesla Model S taxis in its fleet. They will continue to stay in service for the time being.  

Why are there so many Tesla crashes from unintended acceleration?

Unfortunately, there are more and more reports of unintended acceleration with Tesla cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has investigated unintended acceleration after receiving a petition signed by 127 Tesla owners. Each said they had experienced an incident of unintended acceleration. 

But Tesla refutes those claims, first by saying the petition was created by a Tesla short seller. And the NHTSA has also confirmed Tesla’s claims as being from drivers using the wrong pedal. But this hasn’t stopped a similar investigation from being conducted in China. 

Pedal misapplication has been shown to have caused all of these crashes

As far as we know, all of the claims of unintended acceleration have been shown to have been “pedal misapplication,” according to Tesla. It has the advantage of seeing the data log to verify its conclusion, it says. “Pedal misapplication” means that the driver hit the accelerator when they meant to press the brake pedal. 

EV sites like Electrek have been able to verify Tesla logs from accidents when unintended acceleration has been cited by the driver. It confirms what Tesla has stated; that the accelerator pedal was mistakenly pressed instead of the brake pedal. 

The accident in Nanchong, China, which prompted its investigation, resulted in the death of two people with six pedestrians injured. As with the other instances of unintended acceleration, Tesla has shown, through data logs, that the brake pedal was never pressed.