A Tesla Cybertruck veered off a road in Texas and crashed into a culvert, resulting in a fire that killed the driver, KHOU 11 Houston reported. This appears to be the first fatality involving Tesla’s new electric truck and has prompted an investigation by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), according to Reuters. The driver has not yet been identified.
The cause of the accident is unclear, though it has been confirmed that it was not related to Tesla’s autopilot, as the Cybertruck does not yet have this feature. Footage from the scene shows the vehicle was almost entirely consumed by flames, making it difficult to identify both the vehicle and the driver, Texas state police said.
The first known Cybertruck incident occurred late last year near Palo Alto, resulting in no injuries and minimal damage. To date, around 15,000 units of the vehicle have been sold, leading to an increase in accident reports. Tesla has issued four recalls for this model, including one that could cause the accelerator pedal to get stuck.
Since its launch in November 2023, the Cybertruck has faced criticism for its poor build quality, mechanical failures, and controversial design choices, such as body panels shaped like “guillotines” considered unsafe for children and others. It has also been criticized for getting easily stuck and performing poorly off-road, once being outperformed by an old French Citroën C15.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director