Tesla fans have taken it upon themselves to prove a point and they might have gone too far. They are doing this to defend their favorite auto maker’s honor.
Yesterday, a Twitter user uploaded a video that went viral of a Tesla Model Y and a Lexus RX performing a side-by-side test of the cars’ safety systems to see if they would automatically stop for a child-sized mannequin.
What they saw might have been disappointing because the Tesla bulldozed right through the fake kid like it wasn’t even there. The Lexus RX, however, equipped with LIDAR technology that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has refused to use for self-driving, came to a complete halt.
“It’s 2022, and Teslas still aren’t stopping for children,” reads the video’s caption.
Naturally, some diehard Tesla fans weren’t very happy with the unflattering portrayal.
“If I’m pressing the accelerator, the car should do what I tell it to do no matter what,” replied one user to the video. “It shouldn’t matter if there are 100 children in front of the car.”
The user wasn’t alone in wanting to put the lives of children at risk for this unnecessary stunt.
“Why was the Lexus moving slower than the Model 3?” asked another skeptical fan. “How to confirm if this test is legit: put an actual child in front of the Model 3 and step on the accelerator.”
Prominent Tesla fan and investor account Whole Mars Catalog, who’s had several exchanges with Musk on Twitter, apparently took this proposal to heart.
“Unlike LIDAR, Tesla Vision knows that a piece of cardboard is not a child,” the account tweeted — despite the mannequin not being made of cardboard.
Later that day, Whole Mars asked its 129,000 followers if there was “anyone in the Bay Area with a child who can run in front of my car on Full Self-Driving Beta to make a point?” clarifying that this was a “serious request.”
Whole Mars claims someone volunteered their child for the experiment.
It is unbelievable how people are agreeing to this. Parents: please don’t put your child’s life in harm’s way for this absurd feat.