Two men are dead after a Tesla that appeared to not be driven by anyone crashed into a tree in Texas on Saturday night, but CEO Elon Musk said driver-assistance features were not enabled. Tesla stock rose slightly late after retreating Monday.
Police have not yet completed their investigation. Early reports indicate one person was in the front passenger seat and another in the rear passenger seat of the 2019 Model S.
A final report of the crash could indicate if a driver might have been ejected from the driver's seat and into another seat, or if the car's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD) features were engaged.
But Musk tweeted late Monday that they were not:
"Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD. Moreover, standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have."
Tesla sells automated driving systems under the brands Autopilot and FSD. It currently allows customers who bought the premium FSD option for $10,000 to test a "beta" version of the software.
But in a letter to the California DMV last year, Tesla lawyers said Autopilot and FSD are not autonomous systems.
Currently, individual states regulate self-driving systems, and not the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, NHTSA has been evaluating consumer comments as it prepares to establish some rules. As of last month, the federal agency had opened 27 investigations into Tesla crashes; 23 of them are still active.
Police told The New York Times that the wives of the men, ages 59 and 69, heard them talking about the car's Autopilot feature minutes before going for a drive.
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a probe into the crash.
"NHTSA has immediately launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash," the agency said in a statement. "We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information."
Firefighters reportedly used 32,000 gallons of water and took several hours to douse the fire after the electric car exploded.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Musk tweeted that internal data showed that "Tesla with Autopilot engaged (is) now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle."
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Tesla Stock
Shares rose 1% late after closing down 3.4% at 714.63 on the stock market today. During the regular session, Tesla stock dipped below its 50-day line, which is sloping downward. On a weekly chart, it has formed a cup base with a buy point of 900.50, according to MarketSmith chart analysis.
The relative strength line has been trending lower from its highs in early January. Tesla stock is down 22% from its all-time high of 900.40.
Among other U.S. automakers with a growing slate of EVs, General Motors was down 1.4% and Ford slipped 1%.
Tesla's China-based rivals Nio climbed 1.9%, Xpeng rose 0.9% and Li Auto lost 0.2%.
Follow Adelia Cellini Linecker on Twitter @IBD_Adelia.
