A Tesla Model X driver loses his driver’s license after crashing into an electric SUV at a park in Hangzhou, China.
Local Chinese media reports said that the Model X driver recently had a dinner where he consumed alcohol.
He asked a friend if they could drive him home but they could only meet him where the Tesla was parked.
The Model X driver told police he sat in the front passenger seat of the Tesla and let the Autopilot system escort him to the park gate. The Model X finally got out of the way and crashed into the top of a park bench.
Police at the scene tested a breathalyzer with an ethanol content of 86.6 mg/100 ml, which led to him being immediately charged with drunk driving.
The system in the car showed he was not in the passenger seat as claimed and was actually in the driver’s seat at the time. The Tesla will not start running unless it detects someone in the driver’s seat.
It remains unclear whether the vehicle’s Autopilot system was activated at the time of the accident or whether the driver was actually driving drunk. Whatever it was, the local police eventually revoked his license for five years.