“Autopilot” Tesla hits parked fire engine

A Tesla Model S allegedly on autopilot smashed into the rear of a fire engine parked at a California freeway accident scene, authorities say.

Two investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected in Los Angeles to study the crash and will focus on “the driver’s actions and how the vehicle performed”, Bloomberg reports.

The union representing Culver City firefighters whose truck was hit tweeted that the Tesla driver said he had been using Tesla’s autopilot system.

The California Highway Patrol and Culver City Fire Department confirm the southbound Tesla had struck the fire engine, but could not immediately confirm whether the vehicle had been on Autopilot, The Mercury News says.

The fire engine had been parked in an emergency lane and carpool lane, blocking off a previous accident, with a CHP vehicle behind it and to the side, Culver City Fire Department battalion chief Ken Powell says.

Both emergency vehicles had their lights flashing, he adds.

The Tesla suffered significant damage, and the fire engine has been removed from service to have body work done, Powell says.

No-one was injured.

It has been reported the Tesla was doing about 104km/h before the crash, but it is yet unknown what speed it was traveling at when it hit the fire engine.

Following the incident, Tesla says autopilot is “intended for use only with a fully attentive driver”. The Model S owner’s manual warns that attention to the road is vital while using autopilot and other Tesla semi-autonomous driving functions.