Tesla vehicles have a reputation of among the safest vehicles in the industry with a long list of active and passive safety and security features designed to prevent accidents and protect the driver and the passengers. This ranges from Autopilot to standard features such as Automatic Emergency Braking. However, despite all these features that ensure that the vehicles are extremely safe, Tesla was not included in Folksam's list of this year's safest cars.
Folksam is a Swedish insurance firm that rates the level of safety of vehicles each year. This year, the firm's list does not include Tesla vehicles as among the safest cars on the road. The reason for this is both ironic and impressive at the same time.
Each year, the Swedish insurance firm releases the results of its yearly study on the safest vehicles in the country. This year's list is topped by Toyota Rav4. According to Folksam, cars must have enough number of collisions to analyze the actual crash data. This is an issue when it comes to Tesla vehicles considering that it barely crash, which in turn, makes it impossible for the firm to get its actual crash data.
News agency NyTeknik reported that according to Folksam's head of research, Anders Kullgren, the reason why Tesla vehicles are not in the list this year is because of statistics. Kullgren explains that Tesla vehicles only recorded seven accidents, which is far too small. The head of research further explains that Tesla vehicles have many safety systems and high security, which only means the vehicles may not be included in the list of safest cars.
Kullgren further elaborates that the annual list of safest vehicles is released mainly for those looking for used vehicles. On Twitter, a car enthusiast inquired why the firm requires vehicles on its list to have a high number of real accidents to qualify, the firm answered that it acknowledges Tesla vehicles but it is considered and recommended as new cars and not used ones. Tesla vehicles' Q2 2019 vehicle safety report shows only one recorded accident for every 3.27 miles driven with the Autopilot mode turned on.
Det beror ju på vad man kollar på. Vi har kollat krocksäkerheten genom att analysera riktiga krockar, och då måste underlaget vara tillräckligt stort. Vi har även en lista med rekommenderade nya bilar. Där finns Tesla med. https://t.co/TjTF1fANGR — Folksam nyheter (@FolksamMedia) September 10, 2019
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently shared on Twitter that the Tesla Pickup Truck might be unveiled in November. The statement came after the CEO was asked by a car enthusiast about the launch of the electric pickup truck. Ford is also preparing its All-electric Ford F-150, and Tesla should launch as early as possible to prevent other automakers from stealing its thunder.
