A Tesla stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage struggled to figure out exactly what was in front of it, with the old-school vehicle causing the electric car’s ID system to glitch.
Footage of the bizarre malfunction, reportedly videoed in Zurich, Switzerland, appears to have been taken by someone in the passenger seat of the Tesla.
As the device filming focuses on the Tesla’s identification system, with the road ahead in the background, a red car can be seen overtaking a white horse-drawn carriage in which a ‘driver’ and a passenger are riding.
The central display of the Tesla mirrors this - with a representation of the car overtaking another vehicle - though the vehicle now in front of the Tesla is shown as a truck.
The Tesla’s identification system then begins to glitch, first showing a small truck driving in front, then switching to identify it as a pickup truck.
In a bizarre twist, it then changes its mind to display the carriage as a large truck approaching it from the front, careening towards the Tesla.
After a few seconds the display switches to show the pickup truck again, with a man walking between the truck and the Tesla.
Presumably this change occurs because the car’s system has identified the horse’s feet and has concluded it could be a man.
Next up, the Tesla’s system seems to realise something is wrong and goes back to the assumption that only a truck is driving in front of it.
Tesla’s automated systems have repeatedly come under fire in recent months, particularly due to several crashes having been linked to the company’s autopilot software.
Late last month The Mirror reported on another crash being investigated by authorities after a motorcyclist was tragically killed.
Dashawn Holland, 34, died on Saturday, July 23 when a 2020 Tesla Model 3 hit the back of his bike in Draper, Utah.
This is the 38th time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has opened an investigation into self-driving vehicles. There have been 19 deaths in investigations relating to Tesla.
Reports indicate the driver of the car not to have seen Holland and is suspected to have had the autopilot setting on, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Holland, a single dad, died from his injuries after he was flung from his Harley Davidson.