caption The Tesla Model 3 didn’t do well in the test. source Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Five cars with automatic braking systems were stress-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group.
One test found that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model S vehicles performed the worst, behind a BMW, a Volvo, and a Mercedes.
The five cars were required to drive toward a stationary object with adaptive cruise control turned off and only automatic braking on. The two Teslas were the only ones that failed to stop in time and that hit the object, the IIHS said.
In other tests, the Teslas performed better, though the Model 3 was described as overly cautious when braking.
A new test of five cars’ automatic braking systems found some worrying problems with the technology, and two Tesla models were the worst performers.
The tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group, found that some driver-assist systems might not notice stopped vehicles and could even steer cars into a crash rather than away from it. It published the results in a Tuesday report.
In one test, the five cars drove at 31 mph toward a stationary object with the adaptive cruise control turned off and automatic braking on. The models all had automatic emergency braking systems deemed “superior” by the IIHS. They were:
A 2017 BMW 5 Series with the Driving Assistant Plus function.
A 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class with Drive Pilot.
A 2018 Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot.
A 2016 Tesla Model S with Autopilot.
A 2018 Volvo S90 with Pilot Assist.
The IIHS said the Tesla Model 3 and Model S were the only two that didn’t stop in time and that hit the object.
caption The Tesla Model S. source Tesla
In the same test with the adaptive cruise control turned on, the Tesla models decelerated gradually and braked earlier than the other cars to avoid the object, the institute found.
In fact, the IIHS said it also found the Model 3 was prone to “unnecessary or overly cautious braking.”
While traveling a distance of 180 miles, the car unexpectedly slowed down 12 times – seven times after spotting tree shadows on the road and the others after detecting vehicles traveling toward it in another lane or crossing the road far ahead, the institute said.
“The braking events we observed didn’t create unsafe conditions because the decelerations were mild and short enough that the vehicle didn’t slow too much,” said Jessica Jermakian, a senior research engineer at IIHS. “However, unnecessary braking could pose crash risks in heavy traffic, especially if it’s more forceful.
“Plus, drivers who feel that their car brakes erratically may choose not to use adaptive cruise control and would miss out on any safety benefit from the system.”
The IIHS found that the Tesla Model 3 performed the best when it came to staying within the lanes on curves and hills.
caption Results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s tests of electronic driver-assist systems. source Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The IIHS highlighted the fatal crash of a Tesla Model X in March as evidence of the shortcomings of driver-assist systems.
The car, which had the Autopilot semiautonomous driver-assist software engaged, crashed into a highway barrier in Mountain View, California, and caught fire. The driver, Walter Huang, died after being taken to the hospital.
Tesla later released a statement saying Huang must not have been paying attention to the road, “despite the car providing multiple warnings to do so.”
The IIHS said the crash “demonstrates the operational limits of advanced driver assistance systems and the perils of trusting them to do all of the driving, even though they can’t.”
Tesla declined to comment.
Musk tweets plan as it emerges Saudi Arabia has built up $2.9bn stake in tech giant
Elon Musk has launched a campaign to take Tesla private on a day that included several provocative tweets, a suspension (and resumption) of trading in the company’s shares, reports of a significant Saudi investment, a surge in stock price, and an evocative, Musk-tinged appeal to the Tesla faithful: “The future is very bright and we’ll keep fighting to achieve our mission.”
The ride started with Tesla’s stock rising more than 7% after Musk tweeted he was “considering taking Tesla private” and had funding in place to do so at a price of $420 (£325) per share. Shortly afterwards, Tesla published a blogpost written by Musk entitled ‘Taking Tesla private’ that had been sent to all employees.
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.
The tweet appeared to be triggered by a report in the Financial Times that Saudi Arabia has built up a stake in Tesla worth up to $2.9bn.
At $420 a share, Tesla would have an enterprise value of about $82bn including debt, well above its stock market value, which reached $63.8bn on Tuesday. Shares closed up 11% at $378.
In a follow up tweet, Musk wrote: “I don’t have a controlling vote now and wouldn’t expect any shareholder to have one if we go private. I won’t be selling in either scenario.”
In the letter sent out to Tesla employees, Musk did not say that Tesla had secured funding. He wrote instead that “a final decision has not yet been made, but the reason for doing this is all about creating the environment for Tesla to operate best”.
Musk described the “wild swings” in Tesla’s stock price as a “major distraction” and said the quarterly earnings cycle puts “enormous pressure on Tesla to make decisions that may be right for a given quarter, but not necessarily right for the long-term”.
But Musk rejected the interpretation that he was simply seeking greater wealth or control of the company than the 20% he already owns. He wrote: “Basically, I’m trying to accomplish an outcome where Tesla can operate at its best, free from as much distraction and short-term thinking as possible.”
Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund (PIF), which invests its vast oil wealth, has quietly built up a stake of between 3% and 5% in the company, according to the FT. The investment would not have emerged until now because stakes of less than 5% do not need to be disclosed to the stock market.
PIF, which manages more than $250bn in assets, reportedly made an overture to Musk earlier this year, offering to invest money in the company in return for new shares.
Tesla countersued by 'whistleblower' it accused of sabotage and shooting threat Read more
Tesla ignored the approach, prompting PIF to begin acquiring shares in the company through stock markets, with the assistance of JP Morgan.
Analyst Gene Munster, a managing partner at venture capital firm Loup Ventures, told Bloomberg: “Elon Musk does not want to run public companies. His missions are big and make it difficult to accommodate investors’ quarterly expectations. Our guess is there is a one-in-three chance he can actually pull this off.”
No Wall Street bank contacted by CNBC said it was aware of any transaction or had any knowledge of commitment to funding a leveraged buyout of Tesla.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also declined to comment on the matter.
The confusion increased speculation that Musk was engaged in a stunt – which could backfire if Musk is found to have violated fiduciary directives governing how senior executives at publicly-held companies are permitted to release information that could affect a firm’s stock price.
In 2013, the SEC ruled that companies are allowed to use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to announce news. But many thought Musk could be making a pun by twice tweeting “420” – an abbreviation of 4/20, code for the consumption of cannabis.
Musk’s fondness for making statements via Twitter has backfired in the past. He attracted furious criticism after baselessly calling a British diver who helped rescue the boys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand a “pedo”. Tesla’s share price dropped and Musk was forced to apologise.
The following email was sent to Tesla employees today:
Earlier today, I announced that I’m considering taking Tesla private at a price of $420/share. I wanted to let you know my rationale for this, and why I think this is the best path forward.
First, a final decision has not yet been made, but the reason for doing this is all about creating the environment for Tesla to operate best. As a public company, we are subject to wild swings in our stock price that can be a major distraction for everyone working at Tesla, all of whom are shareholders. Being public also subjects us to the quarterly earnings cycle that puts enormous pressure on Tesla to make decisions that may be right for a given quarter, but not necessarily right for the long-term. Finally, as the most shorted stock in the history of the stock market, being public means that there are large numbers of people who have the incentive to attack the company.
I fundamentally believe that we are at our best when everyone is focused on executing, when we can remain focused on our long-term mission, and when there are not perverse incentives for people to try to harm what we’re all trying to achieve.
This is especially true for a company like Tesla that has a long-term, forward-looking mission. SpaceX is a perfect example: it is far more operationally efficient, and that is largely due to the fact that it is privately held. This is not to say that it will make sense for Tesla to be private over the long-term. In the future, once Tesla enters a phase of slower, more predictable growth, it will likely make sense to return to the public markets.
Here’s what I envision being private would mean for all shareholders, including all of our employees.
First, I would like to structure this so that all shareholders have a choice. Either they can stay investors in a private Tesla or they can be bought out at $420 per share, which is a 20% premium over the stock price following our Q2 earnings call (which had already increased by 16%). My hope is for all shareholders to remain, but if they prefer to be bought out, then this would enable that to happen at a nice premium.
Second, my intention is for all Tesla employees to remain shareholders of the company, just as is the case at SpaceX. If we were to go private, employees would still be able to periodically sell their shares and exercise their options. This would enable you to still share in the growing value of the company that you have all worked so hard to build over time.
Third, the intention is not to merge SpaceX and Tesla. They would continue to have separate ownership and governance structures. However, the structure envisioned for Tesla is similar in many ways to the SpaceX structure: external shareholders and employee shareholders have an opportunity to sell or buy approximately every six months.
Finally, this has nothing to do with accumulating control for myself. I own about 20% of the company now, and I don’t envision that being substantially different after any deal is completed.
Basically, I’m trying to accomplish an outcome where Tesla can operate at its best, free from as much distraction and short-term thinking as possible, and where there is as little change for all of our investors, including all of our employees, as possible.
This proposal to go private would ultimately be finalized through a vote of our shareholders. If the process ends the way I expect it will, a private Tesla would ultimately be an enormous opportunity for all of us. Either way, the future is very bright and we’ll keep fighting to achieve our mission.
Thanks,
Elon
Here's what four experts are saying on Tesla potentially going private 2 Hours Ago | 01:49
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stunned investors Tuesday with a string of tweets saying he is considering taking the company private, in what would be the largest deal of its kind.
"Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured," Musk said in a tweet shortly before 1 p.m. Musk discussed the plans further in a blog post later Tuesday.
From there Musk tweeted several times. In responses to questions on Twitter, Musk said he will ensure the prosperity of shareholders "in any scenario." If Tesla went private, current investors could keep their stakes in Tesla through a special fund, or sell their shares at $420, he said.
Shares jumped after Musk's first tweet, trading as high as $371.15 before giving back gains. Later the stock was halted for more than an hour. When it reopened shares surged more than 10 percent.
Tesla shares were already trading higher on a report of a new stake from the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund.
