XPeng Responds to Concerns Over Brakes and Airbags in Zhejiang Crash
According to a report by Southern Metropolis Daily on August 12, a man in China’s Zhejiang Province died in a traffic accident while driving an XPeng Motors vehicle. After the accident happened, there were no obvious brake marks, and the airbags did not pop out after the collision, which caused the man’s family to question that the accident may have been caused by a braking failure.
The video taken by the car recorder shows that a piece of highway railing penetrated the windshield, penetrating the right eye of the driver and delivering fatal brain damage. On August 12, a police officer in charge of handling the accident confirmed to domestic media outlets that no obvious brake marks were found at the scene of the accident, and the airbags of the vehicle did not pop up. An appraisal report shows that the accident was not caused by drunk driving.
Regarding the query of the driver’s family, the local police officers said that they would test the safety performance of the vehicle involved in the follow-up, such as when the driver operated the steering wheel, the range, braking, and the driving speed of the vehicle at that time. In view of the fact that the airbag system is not directly related to the accident, the police officer said, “This is not within the scope defined by the police, so we will not provide airbag-related test reports. The driver’s family can ask the car company to provide relevant answers.”
Regarding the accident, XPeng Motors responded: “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate death of the car owner in this accident. The traffic police department has launched an accident investigation. We have reported detailed driving data according to the requirements of the department and third-party organizations, and will do our best to assist the family members of the car owners to handle follow-up related matters.”
XPeng Motors also said that the vehicle did not turn on the driving assistance system function at the time of the incident. As inferred by XPeng, the vehicle was accelerating, and the switch opening was about 27%. After the collision, the brake pedal was pressed, and the maximum brake pressure was “37Bar,” which indicates moderate braking.
SEE ALSO: Distracted Driver Crashes XPeng P7 on Highway While Activating Assisted Driving
On August 10, there was also a fatal traffic accident involving an XPeng car. An XPeng P7 collided with another vehicle in front, which had pulled over for repairs on the highway. The incident resulted in the death of one individual. Regarding the matter, XPeng Motors said that it had sent a team to the scene to assist in handling the accident and would fully cooperate with relevant departments to investigate the accident.
