Intelligent connected vehicles cannot 'hard shoulder' the safety bottom line
Undoubtedly, safety is the lifeline of the automotive industry. Facing the unstoppable wave of the "new four modernizations" in automobiles, it is even more necessary to elevate the lifeline of safety to an unprecedented level. In this regard, Tesla, which has always been regarded as the "leader" and "benchmark" of the industry, does not seem to have a corresponding high level.
In the past June, there were three recall notices involving Tesla, including two on June 3rd. One recall involved a total of 311 imported Model 3 vehicles produced between January 12, 2019 and November 20, 2019. Due to the screws fixing the top D-ring of the front seat belt not being tightened to standard torque, the seat belt anchor point may have become loose during the accident; Another recall is for some imported Model 3 models produced between February 2, 2019 and November 20, 2019, as the bolts used to tighten the brake calipers were not tightened to the standard torque. In extreme cases, the calipers may loosen and come into contact with the inside of the wheel rim, causing the wheels to get stuck. In the recall announcement on June 26th, Tesla recalled over 280000 imported Model 3 and domestic Model 3/Model Y vehicles delivered between January 2019 and June 2021 to fix the "sudden acceleration issue".
It is not difficult to see that the first two recall notices originated from Tesla's long criticized quality control issues, fortunately involving a relatively small number of vehicles, while the third large-scale recall notice seems to be "apologizing" for Tesla's previous "loss of control" problem. But if we carefully examine Tesla's wording: 'Due to the possibility of the active cruise control system being mistakenly activated by the driver, there may be safety hazards in extreme situations,' the responsibility still lies with the driver. More importantly, this recall was resolved through a system upgrade to address the issue of "false activation", while the widely concerned problem of "loss of control" was not mentioned at all.
According to industry insiders, once the active cruise control system is mistakenly activated, if the current driving speed of the vehicle is lower than the cruise set speed, the vehicle will accelerate to the set speed, resulting in a sudden increase in speed, which may lead to a collision in extreme cases. And this situation does indeed occur in the "loss of control" caused by "sudden acceleration" described by many Tesla owners. More owners roast that Tesla's setting of moving the wiper control lever to the left is not friendly to drivers who are used to driving fuel vehicles, and electric vehicles do not have the scene in the car when the engine of the fuel vehicle is running. Some personal driving habits will inevitably lead to "accidental touch" and "loss of control".
As the world's largest and most important automotive market, the rapidly growing application of intelligent connected new energy vehicles in China is driving a high level of attention to automotive safety. Improving safety is an urgent task beyond achieving functionality, otherwise it will seriously affect consumers' confidence in intelligent connected new energy vehicles. It is predicted that the compound annual growth rate of intelligent connected vehicles will reach around 15% in the next three years, reaching the level of 80 million vehicles. By then, over 70% of the new cars will be equipped with intelligent connected systems. Regarding the design and functions of intelligent connected vehicles that are completely different from traditional fuel vehicles, car companies have the responsibility and obligation to teach consumers how to operate intelligent connected vehicles correctly, and the proactive actions of car companies should occur before consumers make purchases.
With the major transformation of the automotive industry, the electrification trend in the first half has been basically determined, and the intelligence and networking in the second half have also entered the right track. "Software defined cars" have become the trend and an important strategic high point in the automotive industry. China has released the "Intelligent Vehicle Innovation and Development Strategy", and regions such as Europe and the United States have also released relevant plans. Currently, China is at the forefront of intelligent connected vehicle technology and market in the world. In the future, China is expected to lead the global industrial development with its leading advantage in the industrial chain. At this critical juncture, it is even more necessary to accelerate the formulation of industry safety standards, increase regulatory efforts on safety issues, and enhance consumers' confidence in intelligent connected new energy vehicles. Otherwise, if we miss the opportunity of industrial transformation, we will miss the huge opportunity.
Information source: Economic Reference Report
