French Taxi Company Suspends Tesla Car Operations After Paris Accident

(RTTNews) - G7, a leading taxi company in Paris, has suspended the use of Tesla (TSLA) Model 3 taxi after it was involved in a fatal accident on Saturday in which one person was killed and 20 others injured. G7 has suspended the use of all the 37 Model 3 cars in its fleet following the accident.

Three people are said to be in a serious condition, according to sources.

France's transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Wednesday there was no suggestion at this stage that the accident was caused by a technical fault.

The minister said he had spoken with the chief executive of Tesla Europe who told him there had been no safety concerns with the Model 3. Tesla Europe has not made any formal comment on the accident.

The automaker collects detailed data from the sensors and cameras on its vehicles and has used such data in the past to challenge claims that accidents were caused by malfunctioning technology.

G7 Deputy Chief Executive Yann Ricordel cited Tesla as saying that an initial inquiry had ruled out a technical fault. The accident took place while an off-duty taxi driver was taking his family to a restaurant. The driver tried to brake but the car accelerated instead, Ricordel said.

A police source said that the car, which had stopped at a red traffic light, suddenly sped forward, hitting and dragging with it a cyclist who later died.

The driver tried to stop the vehicle by steering into surrounding obstacles, including trash bins, causing further damage, the police source said, citing the driver's own version of events, witnesses and video surveillance.

It was not clear whether the car was operating in autopilot mode. The driver tested negative in an alcohol test, police said.

A judicial source said that an investigation into involuntary homicide by the driver had been opened. A video of the scene obtained by Reuters showed the wreckage of a black Tesla and debris strewn across the street. The vehicle's left-hand side was crumpled, the front left wheel collapsed and the windscreen shattered.