A new study suggests that Tesla owners are much less likely to crash their Tesla than their other cars. Tesla remain the most popular electric car choice in the world even as more companies are jumping on the EV bandwagon. The company sold nearly a million electric cars last year, more than any other brand on either side of the Atlantic. What's more, the company already sold more than 300,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2022, suggesting that it is well on its way to having another record year.
The new research on the likelihood of crashing a Tesla comes amidst repeated assertions by Elon Musk that Tesla's Autopilot lowers the probability of an accident. Last year, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO claimed that a Tesla with Autopilot engaged is almost 10 times less likely to end up in a crash than any other car. The claim, however, was contradicted by experts, who pointed out that the data was inconclusive at best, as Autopilot is largely engaged on highways that see fewer crashes compared to city roads in any case.
The new research was conducted by Cambridge Mobile Telematics and presented this week at an event organized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The research compared different sets of data derived from the same drivers driving Teslas and other vehicles. According to the data, the crash rate was 50 percent lower when the subjects drove a Tesla compared to when they drove other cars they owned. However, according to the press release from the Cambridge firm, drivers took way more risks - between 180 percent and 340 percent higher - while driving EVs compared to when they were driving traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.
Are Teslas Inherently Safer Than Other Cars?
The research also found that the results were a polar opposite for Porsches, which were 55 percent more likely to get in a crash than other cars when driven by the same people. While there's no official explanation for that, chances are, people take extra risks while driving a sports car to extract more value from their high-powered purchase, resulting in crashes and accidents. That said, some Teslas, like the Model S Plaid, offer insane performance, so it's likely that some people take unwarranted risks while driving vehicles like that as well.
The study, titled 'Electric Drivers: Changes in Driver Behavior,' looked at the risk of driving various cars on public roads, including traditional gas-guzzlers, gas-electric hybrids, and battery-powered all-electric cars. The study also looked at how various factors, such as 'driver fatigue, vehicle range, distracted driving, and speeding,' affect the drivers of different cars. As it turns out, people are less likely to crash their Teslas than any other vehicles, even though it is unclear why that's the case.