A deadly car accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle occurred on a Chinese highway, claiming the lives of three female students. The incident happened when the car, traveling at 116 km/h in autonomous mode, crashed into a concrete barrier on the highway.
The car’s system, called NOA, had detected an obstacle and alerted the driver to take control. However, the vehicle still collided with the barrier at a speed of approximately 97 km/h.
After the crash, the car’s emergency response system sprang into action, contacting the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner claimed they were not driving at the time of the accident, and emergency services were quickly notified.
Despite a prompt response from rescue teams, the occupants were unable to escape the vehicle due to the doors being locked. Xiaomi explained that while the doors were locked due to the battery being depleted or damaged, there are manual unlock mechanisms on all four doors that can be used in emergency situations.
The company released a detailed timeline of the incident, which shows that the driver took control of the vehicle after the system warned of an obstacle. However, it remains to be seen whether the system’s warning was timely and if the vehicle’s braking system functioned properly.
Here’s a breakdown of the events leading up to the accident:
- 10:27:17 PM: The NOA system is activated, with the car traveling at 116 km/h.
- 10:28:17 PM: The system warns the driver of a slight loss of attention.
- 10:36:48 PM: The system alerts the driver to keep their hands on the wheel.
- 10:44:24 PM: The system warns of an obstacle ahead and advises the driver to slow down.
- 10:44:25 PM: The driver takes control of the vehicle, turning the wheel and braking.
- 10:44:26 PM: The vehicle collides with the concrete barrier.
- 10:44:28 PM: The emergency response system is activated.
- 10:44:39 PM: The system confirms the accident and contacts emergency services.
- 10:45:06 PM: The system contacts the vehicle’s owner, who claims they were not driving.
- 10:47:15 PM: Emergency services are notified and dispatched to the scene.
- Around 11:00 PM: Rescue teams arrive at the accident site.
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