Tesla is one of the biggest electric vehicle (EV) companies worldwide. The company is also working on many new features some of which are already available for users. Because most of these features are not conventional, the company has to face multiple issues. Back in 2020, a Tesla Model 3 owner reported an accident involving his vehicle. This led to heated arguments between the owner and the company at the time. The Tesla owner in Wenzhou. China claims that his Tesla Model 3 went absolutely “crazy” on the road. He claims that the car went out of control. The claim is that the car experienced a brake failure and this is supposed to be Tesla’s fault.
However, a couple of associations including the Wenzhou Society of Automotive Engineering had to investigate the issue. In the latest investigation report on the accident, data from both China and the United States confirms the truth of the issue. The investigations reveal the truth of the Tesla serial crash in Wenzhou in August 2020. The report shows that the owner accidentally stepped on the pedal and used the accelerator pedal as the brake. This is quite common for new drivers or for people driving a car with a new mechanism.
Tesla owner apologizes
Today, a Weibo user who claims to be the owner of the car issued an apology letter. The letter reveals that after the accident, he was not aware that he stepped on the accelerator as the brake. However, as the case proceed, things started coming back to him and he realized that he had made a mistake. After the incident, there were so many unpleasant headlines aiming to slander Tesla.
At the same time, the Weibo user revealed that after the incident, a Shanghai car owner, Mr. Feng, contacted him and introduced him to a certain platform. The platform would also arrange for him to have a special lawyer and contract all expenses. In addition, other car owners who claimed to be defending their rights contacted him; during this period. He also claims that Ms Zhang invited him to write a joint book class action, but he refused.
On September 24, 2021, the Lucheng District People’s Court of Wenzhou City issued a civil judgment. Investigations reveal that there was no pressure on the brakes at the time of the accident. Furthermore, Mr Chen had to admit that he mistakenly used the accelerator for the brakes. He believes that this case constitutes an order to infringe the reputation of the plaintiff (Tesla Shanghai Co., Ltd.). The defendant, Mr Chen, has to apologize to the plaintiff on the Douyin platform. Furthermore, the apology has to be on the platform for no less than 90 days. He will also have to compensate the plaintiff for losses of 50,000 yuan ($7,429).
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The full text of the apology letter:
Dear netizens, I am the party involved in the Wenzhou Tesla accident on August 12, 2020. I am the registrant and controller of the Weibo account “Wenzhou Tesla Out of Control” and the original Douyin account “Wenzhou Tesla out of control” .
On the night of the accident, I was driving home on the inner road of the community and suddenly found someone in front of me. I wanted to step on the brakes, but I stepped on the wrong accelerator and used the brakes. For this reason, I had a collicion with some vehicles and barriers.
After the accident, I did not immediately recall that I had stepped on the accelerator as the brake. However, as the investigation went on, I realized my mistake. At this point the I had already made a lot of post on the issue and couldnt go back. Thus deliberately hurting Tesla. I continued to fabricate “Tesla automatic acceleration”, “Brake failure” and “Cherish life away from Tesla” to insult and slander Tesla.
My fabricated remarks have been widely read, forwarded and reported on the Internet. It has become an event with great social influence. Many people have been misled by my remarks. Some think that Tesla cars really have unexpected automatic acceleration and brake failure. The problem has caused irreparable damage to the reputation of Tesla and Tesla Motors.
Tesla staff have contacted me many times, hoping that I can explain the truth of the accident to the public, but I ignored it. In the end, Tesla sued me in the court, and the case went into effect in March this year. The judgment found that I constituted an infringement of Tesla’s reputation. To this end, I had to apologize to Tesla and compensate for the economic losses.
Judge critizes Mr Chen
During the trial of the case, the judge also criticized and educated me, popularizing the relevant legal provisions and the legal consequences of my actions. I now have a clear understanding of the nature of my actions and regret the significant negative impact on Tesla Inc. Here, I sincerely apologize to Tesla Inc. and to the people who have been misled by my remarks.
In addition, while I was carrying out the above behavior, other car owners who claimed to be “rights protection” also came to contact me. Mr. Feng, the owner of the car in Shanghai, took the initiative to contact me and introduced me to a certain platform. The platform arranged a lawyer for me. All the fees of the first-instance lawyer were paid by this platform. I did not pay any fees of the first-instance lawyer. Mrs. Zhang Zhong from Henan and Mr. Han, the owner of the car from Tianjin, also contacted me.
I also once joined the group of car owners for rights protection, but later I quit the group because of different ideas and concepts. After the second-instance judgment was made, Ms. Henan Che Zhan invited me to write a joint class action lawsuit with other car owners, but I refused. Now that I have realized the mistake of my behavior, I also hope that the majority of netizens can keep their eyes open, seek truth from facts, and not be blinded by their own selfishness and the bewitchment of others.
I hope Tesla and the majority of netizens can forgive my actions, and I hope everyone can take me as a warning and not make the same mistakes.
