According to a recent report by Teslarati, Tesla is about to become the first passenger vehicle producer to sign a deal with Emergency Safety Solutions, Inc. The deal will allow Tesla to implement the company's Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol (H.E.L.P) system. The technology is billed as a revolutionary vehicle hazard warning system that can work to prevent collisions with disabled vehicles.
Emergency Safety Solutions (ESS) data reveals that some 200 such crashes occur per day and that nearly 300,000 people have been impacted by disabled or vulnerable vehicle incidents since 2018. Sadly, ESS also notes that over 60,000 people have lost their lives due to such incidents over the same time period.
ESS CEO Tom Metzger says Tesla's decision to implement the company's H.E.L.P. technology is very positive news. He shared via Teslarati:
“This is great news for significantly increasing roadside safety. Tesla is a leader in bringing first-time innovation to passenger vehicles and is leading the way by implementing H.E.L.P. technology on potentially millions of Tesla vehicles worldwide. It’s a monumental step in the effort to overcome the troubling safety issue of crashes into disabled and vulnerable vehicles, which tragically injure or kill tens of thousands around the world each year.”
ESS has announced that Tesla plans to use the company's H.E.L.P. system across "a range of vehicles" in its lineup. Tesla currently only produces four models, the Model 3 sedan, Model Y crossover, Model S flagship sedan, and Model X SUV. The electric automaker is also bringing its electric Semi to market in the near future, which is expected to be followed by the Cybertruck and next-gen Roadster in 2023.
According to ESS, its H.E.L.P technology uses two different "near-fault-proof" warning systems to help ensure that disabled and/or otherwise vulnerable vehicles are more visible and more easily detected. The system, which the company claims is compliant with regulatory standards, employs both Lighting Alerts and Digital Alerts via onboard intelligence to make it clear to oncoming drivers that there's a related issue ahead.
ESS' Lightning Alert system generates highly visible light output, which aims to get the attention of oncoming traffic. Moreover, the Digital Alert system relies on GPS map data to send notifications to drivers of oncoming cars.
Tesla continues to regularly revamp its advanced driver-assist systems. The company currently uses a camera-based vision-only system, having removed the radar from its vehicles somewhat recently. Now, it appears Tesla is also planning to remove its car's ultrasonic sensors.
While removing such technology could certainly be cause for concern for some people, implementing the ESS H.E.L.P. system appears to be a positive. Perhaps, if the system works as expected, other automakers will follow suit.
