https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/police-investigating-vehicle-explosion-trump-hotel-las-vegas/story?id=117252987

The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.


What if this hadn’t been purposeful but an accidental blast… and the doors auto-locked someone inside? Do you need Musk’s personal cell number to be able to get out alive? What even is this?

Seriously, how are Tesla’s not widely considered dangerous deathtraps at this point.

  • TehPers@beehaw.org
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    3 days ago

    Cybertrucks have a lot of problems, but this seemed to be a clearly intentional explosion by somebody.

    That aside, can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles remotely and access all the camera footage on it? That seems like a much bigger problem, especially since Mr. Musk is practically our next president.

    • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz
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      1 day ago

      If the car has internet connectivity and an app, then the answer to that question is yes, because that’s how the apps work.
      And I very much doubt you can find a manufacturer that promises that they definitely don’t ever access that functionality or data for any reason whatsoever, especially if the cops or a court orders them to.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      Can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles thirdly and access the video

      Almost always yes, but it’s the same for any modern car

      Tesla allows owners to opt out of online services, in which case the video is stored locally briefly and Tesla cannot see anything from the car or do anything to it

      Tesla employees got in trouble years ago for sharing sexy videos from random Tesla car drivers and passengers

      So don’t do anything in or near a Tesla you wouldn’t want seen by randoms

    • Lucy :3@feddit.org
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      3 days ago

      Then I wonder why not all Teslas are banned in Europe. Damn. I wish they were. Whenever I see a Tesla, no matter if I’m a pedestrian, cyclist, bus rider or driving a car, I always assume they can do unexpected things. Be it the “drivers” using auto-park features which crashes the “car” through a bush, nearly bumping my (parked) car (that was actually scary to watch), unproven and unfinished security features kicking in or the “car” just breaking down (speeding up uncontrollably, steering wheel breaking off, etc.). All of those are things Tesla’s death machines do, that others don’t. I feel safer in a 20 year old Ford or a VW T1 Bus than I would in a Tesla.

      • exploitedamerican@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        Whenever i see one I have no choice but to yell out “elon musk is a fucking cunt” at the top of my lungs. And it really sucks because i hate saying that chud’s name and prefer to call him “space karen”

    • Otter@lemmy.ca
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      3 days ago

      clearly intentional explosion by somebody

      I was trying to figure this out myself, since the article I saw mentioned fireworks. Are there better details somewhere?

      can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles remotely and access all the camera footage on it

      Yes, the first one is arguably a service, but the second one is a problem

      https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-workers-shared-sensitive-images-recorded-by-customer-cars-2023-04-06/

      https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/tesla-camera-scandal-is-the-latest-lesson-in-dangers-of-letting-companies-record-you

      Tesla employees passed around videos taken in car owners’ private garages and other interesting recordings captured by the cameras built in to the company’s vehicles, Reuters reported today. “We could see them doing laundry and really intimate things. We could see their kids,” according to one of nine former employees who told the news agency about the practice.

  • Odys@beehaw.org
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    3 days ago

    I don’t trust Elon, so I don’t trust Tesla. If I would get one for free, I would immediately sell it. I’m not against electric cars in general by the way.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      I don’t trust Elon, but I bought my Tesla before he unmasked himself, while I saw him as the guy who made electric cars cool and rockets reusable, and I still think it’s a good, well made, and reliable car

      My trust is increased by the recalls the cybertruck has had, as it shows the company is responsive to problems and of course it’ll have problems being a new vehicle with a new battery using new technology.

      So sure Musk sucks, but I still like the cars and rockets

      I don’t like JK Rowling either, but the Harry Potter stories are fine

      • Odys@beehaw.org
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        2 days ago

        I also liked very much what was going on in the beginning, same as you. I don’t want to Tesla shame anybody, sorry about that.

        • psud@aussie.zone
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          2 days ago

          No worries mate, the rabid anti Tesla people are out in force at the moment spinning bullshit so I have been a bit touchy

  • psud@aussie.zone
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    2 days ago

    The car would lock shortly after it’s key RFID card was removed from it’s reader or phone key went out of range or offline

    They can always be opened from inside either electronically or manually

    I’m pretty sure the vehicle’s warranty was voided when the driver detonated a bomb in the cargo area and shot himself, and they’re not telling us whether it was the blast disturbing the key card or the fire deactivating the phone key, anyway it’s interesting the vehicle could be remote unlocked after that blast and fire

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    3 days ago

    Won’t it be difficult to prove that this is due to terrorism since Cybertrucks have a habit of exploding all on their own?

    • Vodulas [they/them]@beehaw.org
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      3 days ago

      Do they? Or is that just an extension of the right wing rumor that EVs explode more often than gas cars?

      Cybertrucks are super fucking shitty, but for a lot of other reasons. Shitty to no QA, panels that are not properly attached, incredibly low visibility (even for a truck), undersized drive train components, and low actual utility to name a few. Oh, and everything that Elon is

      • Skua@kbin.earth
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        3 days ago

        I do not know the actual answer to this, but I can definitely see a potential causal link between “shitty to no QA” and battery fires

        • Vodulas [they/them]@beehaw.org
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          3 days ago

          It was a bit of a rhetorical question. EV fires are way less common than gas car fires.

          https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/electric-car-fire-statistics.html

          https://cleantechnica.com/2024/06/01/actually-evs-dont-catch-on-fire-as-frequently-as-gas-powered-cars-do/

          Also, CATL makes most of Tesla’s batteries, so they are subject to more QA than Tesla, though some are assembled in Nevada.

          Bottom line, make fun of Tesla for the actual shitty things they do, don’t perpetuate unfounded rumors

          • Norah (pup/it/she)
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            3 days ago

            Car bomb attacks are also exceedingly rare. I personally think the odds are an even split both ways.

            Either way, it’s truly despicable that the doors auto-locked during it, and I think Tesla needs to answer to an investigation on that one.

            • psud@aussie.zone
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              2 days ago

              Tesla doors lock when a key* has been disconnected for a short time while parked

              * a key being a phone via Bluetooth, an RFID card, or a dongle. The card is disconnected if removed from the reader area (such as by a bomb going off). Phones are disconnected if too far away or if the phone or Bluetooth are turned off, dongles are disconnected if moved too far away or destroyed, for example by that bomb or the fire

              The vehicle is most likely set to unlock in a collision, but in this case it was parked so it’s normal for it to lock when the key is not detected, that’s how “walk away lock” works

              • Norah (pup/it/she)
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                2 days ago

                Then put a fire sensor in the car to keep the door’s unlocked. I don’t know, but the fact it stayed locked may have cost the driver their life. I personally think it was a dickhead with a bunch of fireworks planning on a BBQ out in the desert (propane tanks) or something.

            • Vodulas [they/them]@beehaw.org
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              3 days ago

              That really isn’t the point. It could be 50/50 for this incident, but EVs (and as much as I hate saying something good about Tesla), even Teslas, don’t have a track record of blowing up. Plus the gas and fireworks in the back say intention. Maybe earlier than intended, but carrying that much flammable cargo is a fire waiting to happen

          • LukeZaz@beehaw.org
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            3 days ago

            The Cybertruck is very much an actual shitty thing that Tesla does. Sure, maybe they don’t literally “have a habit of exploding all on their own,” but I don’t think Gork was exactly trying to play off as an authority on the topic. Just mocking Cybertrucks being shit.

            Nobody’s attacking EVs writ large, here. Just Elon and his awful ideas.

      • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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        3 days ago

        If I wasn’t just so very, very tired, I would find amusement in how this story is going back and forth. “Haha, cybertruck exploded! Stupid Elon!” “Oh, it had a bomb, it was a deliberate explosion. And the cybertruck’s structure stopped anyone outside it from getting hurt…” silence “Ah! It auto-locked, something about cybertruck we can criticize! Stupid Elon!”

        And people complain about the “tribalism” in politics these days.

        • Vodulas [they/them]@beehaw.org
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          3 days ago

          I think that it is a complex situation that people are trying to distill down into internet takes. It is frustrating, but understandable.

        • And the cybertruck’s structure stopped anyone outside it from getting hurt…

          The reason nobody outside was hurt was because there wasn’t really anyone around to get hurt. The video shows a pretty sizeable explosion that would’ve likely killed someone standing close by.

          I don’t think the Cybertruck did any better than other cars in that respect. Not worse either btw.

          • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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            3 days ago

            There was someone just inside the glass doors the truck was parked in front of, you can see them just moments from coming outside through them in the security cam footage.

    • B0rax@feddit.org
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      3 days ago

      Can I see a source to that? I have not heard about anything that would confirm what you are saying.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      A habit? The are 27 thousand of them, can you find ten that have spontaneously exploded?

  • Celestus@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    Serious answer: The front doors have easily accessible manual releases. Unless there is damage to the door frame/mechanism, it is trivial to get out of a Tesla with no power. These work even if the door is locked, since the lock is implemented in software

    • Umbrias@beehaw.org
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      1 day ago

      the lock is implemented in software

      things that are such absurd design failures it’s hard to say with a straight face

      • Celestus@lemm.ee
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        19 hours ago

        I don’t see that as a design failure. I actually really like them. Electronic door controls both inside and out, plus a mechanical backup only inside. It’s not a perfect design, but neither are mechanical door controls. It’s also not unique to Tesla: many other cars have electronic door actuators with software locks

        • Umbrias@beehaw.org
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          9 hours ago

          other modern cars doing bad design is a known problem yes. im just hearing described differences but no benefits personally.

    • Wolf314159@startrek.website
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      2 days ago

      Too bad those “easily accessible manual releases” aren’t the actual door handle and are hidden so well you’d never find them if you were unfamiliar with the vehicle.

      • Celestus@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        They’re right in front of the window switches, and in my experience, unfamiliar passengers are more likely to use the manual door release than the actual door button. They’re actually too easy to find, in my opinion, but that’s probably for the best

        • Wolf314159@startrek.website
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          2 days ago

          They shouldn’t be separate in the first place. It’s just bad design that’s prone to failure. And in this case that failure mode is VERY far from failsafe, it’s potentially deadly.

      • Celestus@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        There’s nothing special about the Tesla door in that regard, so it is possible for it to become mechanically warped/obstructed in an accident or fire just like any other car door

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      It’s promising that a cybertruck can go through that and still be remote unlocked