this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2025
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109
Discussion: Cybertruck involved in attempted bombing in Las Vegas auto-locked after explosion (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/technology@beehaw.org
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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/police-investigating-vehicle-explosion-trump-hotel-las-vegas/story?id=117252987

The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.

What if this hadn't been purposeful but an accidental blast... and the doors auto-locked someone inside? Do you need Musk's personal cell number to be able to get out alive? What even is this?

Seriously, how are Tesla's not widely considered dangerous deathtraps at this point.

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The car would lock shortly after it's key RFID card was removed from it's reader or phone key went out of range or offline

They can always be opened from inside either electronically or manually

I'm pretty sure the vehicle's warranty was voided when the driver detonated a bomb in the cargo area and shot himself, and they're not telling us whether it was the blast disturbing the key card or the fire deactivating the phone key, anyway it's interesting the vehicle could be remote unlocked after that blast and fire

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Serious answer: The front doors have easily accessible manual releases. Unless there is damage to the door frame/mechanism, it is trivial to get out of a Tesla with no power. These work even if the door is locked, since the lock is implemented in software

[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Too bad those "easily accessible manual releases" aren't the actual door handle and are hidden so well you'd never find them if you were unfamiliar with the vehicle.

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They’re right in front of the window switches, and in my experience, unfamiliar passengers are more likely to use the manual door release than the actual door button. They’re actually too easy to find, in my opinion, but that’s probably for the best

[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 4 points 5 days ago

They shouldn't be separate in the first place. It's just bad design that's prone to failure. And in this case that failure mode is VERY far from failsafe, it's potentially deadly.

[–] oyo@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What if you're on fire?

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

There’s nothing special about the Tesla door in that regard, so it is possible for it to become mechanically warped/obstructed in an accident or fire just like any other car door

[–] Umbrias@beehaw.org 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

the lock is implemented in software

things that are such absurd design failures it's hard to say with a straight face

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I don’t see that as a design failure. I actually really like them. Electronic door controls both inside and out, plus a mechanical backup only inside. It’s not a perfect design, but neither are mechanical door controls. It’s also not unique to Tesla: many other cars have electronic door actuators with software locks

[–] Umbrias@beehaw.org 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

other modern cars doing bad design is a known problem yes. im just hearing described differences but no benefits personally.

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago

I’m not an automotive engineer, so I don’t have a great understanding of the benefits as perceived by auto manufacturers. Still, here are some benefits as I see it:

  • Cheaper (fewer parts)
  • More reliable (fewer moving parts, cables strained less frequently, fewer broken door handles)
  • Recessed door handles are more aerodynamic (not necessarily an advantage of electronics)
  • Remote door release (helps with frozen handles in the cold)
  • Cool factor (helps sell cars)
  • Flexible design (allows designers to do creative things with door handles/controls)
[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago

It's promising that a cybertruck can go through that and still be remote unlocked

[–] Mihies@programming.dev 4 points 6 days ago

Yep, combine it with really resistant glasses to achieve even better trap.

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 69 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Cybertrucks have a lot of problems, but this seemed to be a clearly intentional explosion by somebody.

That aside, can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles remotely and access all the camera footage on it? That seems like a much bigger problem, especially since Mr. Musk is practically our next president.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 6 points 6 days ago

Can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles thirdly and access the video

Almost always yes, but it's the same for any modern car

Tesla allows owners to opt out of online services, in which case the video is stored locally briefly and Tesla cannot see anything from the car or do anything to it

Tesla employees got in trouble years ago for sharing sexy videos from random Tesla car drivers and passengers

So don't do anything in or near a Tesla you wouldn't want seen by randoms

[–] JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

If the car has internet connectivity and an app, then the answer to that question is yes, because that's how the apps work.
And I very much doubt you can find a manufacturer that promises that they definitely don't ever access that functionality or data for any reason whatsoever, especially if the cops or a court orders them to.

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then I wonder why not all Teslas are banned in Europe. Damn. I wish they were. Whenever I see a Tesla, no matter if I'm a pedestrian, cyclist, bus rider or driving a car, I always assume they can do unexpected things. Be it the "drivers" using auto-park features which crashes the "car" through a bush, nearly bumping my (parked) car (that was actually scary to watch), unproven and unfinished security features kicking in or the "car" just breaking down (speeding up uncontrollably, steering wheel breaking off, etc.). All of those are things Tesla's death machines do, that others don't. I feel safer in a 20 year old Ford or a VW T1 Bus than I would in a Tesla.

[–] exploitedamerican@lemm.ee 14 points 1 week ago

Whenever i see one I have no choice but to yell out “elon musk is a fucking cunt” at the top of my lungs. And it really sucks because i hate saying that chud’s name and prefer to call him “space karen”

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

clearly intentional explosion by somebody

I was trying to figure this out myself, since the article I saw mentioned fireworks. Are there better details somewhere?

can Tesla just unlock any of their vehicles remotely and access all the camera footage on it

Yes, the first one is arguably a service, but the second one is a problem

https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-workers-shared-sensitive-images-recorded-by-customer-cars-2023-04-06/

https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/tesla-camera-scandal-is-the-latest-lesson-in-dangers-of-letting-companies-record-you

Tesla employees passed around videos taken in car owners’ private garages and other interesting recordings captured by the cameras built in to the company’s vehicles, Reuters reported today. “We could see them doing laundry and really intimate things. We could see their kids,” according to one of nine former employees who told the news agency about the practice.

[–] Odys@beehaw.org 36 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't trust Elon, so I don't trust Tesla. If I would get one for free, I would immediately sell it. I'm not against electric cars in general by the way.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don't trust Elon, but I bought my Tesla before he unmasked himself, while I saw him as the guy who made electric cars cool and rockets reusable, and I still think it's a good, well made, and reliable car

My trust is increased by the recalls the cybertruck has had, as it shows the company is responsive to problems and of course it'll have problems being a new vehicle with a new battery using new technology.

So sure Musk sucks, but I still like the cars and rockets

I don't like JK Rowling either, but the Harry Potter stories are fine

[–] Odys@beehaw.org 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I also liked very much what was going on in the beginning, same as you. I don't want to Tesla shame anybody, sorry about that.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago

No worries mate, the rabid anti Tesla people are out in force at the moment spinning bullshit so I have been a bit touchy

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 22 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Won't it be difficult to prove that this is due to terrorism since Cybertrucks have a habit of exploding all on their own?

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 6 days ago

A habit? The are 27 thousand of them, can you find ten that have spontaneously exploded?

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 28 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Do they? Or is that just an extension of the right wing rumor that EVs explode more often than gas cars?

Cybertrucks are super fucking shitty, but for a lot of other reasons. Shitty to no QA, panels that are not properly attached, incredibly low visibility (even for a truck), undersized drive train components, and low actual utility to name a few. Oh, and everything that Elon is

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I do not know the actual answer to this, but I can definitely see a potential causal link between "shitty to no QA" and battery fires

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 15 points 1 week ago (6 children)

It was a bit of a rhetorical question. EV fires are way less common than gas car fires.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/electric-car-fire-statistics.html

https://cleantechnica.com/2024/06/01/actually-evs-dont-catch-on-fire-as-frequently-as-gas-powered-cars-do/

Also, CATL makes most of Tesla's batteries, so they are subject to more QA than Tesla, though some are assembled in Nevada.

Bottom line, make fun of Tesla for the actual shitty things they do, don't perpetuate unfounded rumors

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Car bomb attacks are also exceedingly rare. I personally think the odds are an even split both ways.

Either way, it's truly despicable that the doors auto-locked during it, and I think Tesla needs to answer to an investigation on that one.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Tesla doors lock when a key* has been disconnected for a short time while parked

* a key being a phone via Bluetooth, an RFID card, or a dongle. The card is disconnected if removed from the reader area (such as by a bomb going off). Phones are disconnected if too far away or if the phone or Bluetooth are turned off, dongles are disconnected if moved too far away or destroyed, for example by that bomb or the fire

The vehicle is most likely set to unlock in a collision, but in this case it was parked so it's normal for it to lock when the key is not detected, that's how "walk away lock" works

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 6 days ago

Then put a fire sensor in the car to keep the door's unlocked. I don't know, but the fact it stayed locked may have cost the driver their life. I personally think it was a dickhead with a bunch of fireworks planning on a BBQ out in the desert (propane tanks) or something.

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[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

If I wasn't just so very, very tired, I would find amusement in how this story is going back and forth. "Haha, cybertruck exploded! Stupid Elon!" "Oh, it had a bomb, it was a deliberate explosion. And the cybertruck's structure stopped anyone outside it from getting hurt..." silence "Ah! It auto-locked, something about cybertruck we can criticize! Stupid Elon!"

And people complain about the "tribalism" in politics these days.

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 7 points 1 week ago

I think that it is a complex situation that people are trying to distill down into internet takes. It is frustrating, but understandable.

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[–] B0rax@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago

Can I see a source to that? I have not heard about anything that would confirm what you are saying.

[–] IndeterminateName@beehaw.org 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Wait, so after it exploded it was still working enough for Tesla to remotely open the doors and download the camera footage?

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

The computers and telemetry systems aren’t near the part that exploded. Assuming they failed at all, they (and the vehicle itself) probably would’ve remained functional for a while after the blast

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 27 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Why is it recording the passengers and why does tesla have remote access?

[–] psud@aussie.zone 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Every car brand does this. Tesla is pretty close to unique in allowing owners to opt out, but nearly no one does

Tesla uses attentiveness data as part of their safety assessment of drivers for setting premiums for Tesla insurance as well as to ensure the driver is watching the road while the car is driving itself

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 2 points 6 days ago

Perhaps so. I've only driven old second hand cars that have no smart features, and lesson cars that had the cameras removed. That's unfortunate to hear

[–] t3rmit3@beehaw.org 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Teslas always are, not even joking. It's supposed to ensure the drivers are "attentive", but it is angled to record the entire interior/ "cabin".

https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-682FF4A7-D083-4C95-925A-5EE3752F4865.html

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I hope taping over them does not turn off the car

[–] Celestus@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Obstructing the cabin camera will cause the car to periodically “nag” the driver to apply torque to the steering wheel while the automatic steering system is engaged, depending on the vehicle’s speed

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 3 points 6 days ago

Ahh, ye fair enough. I think that's a better indicator of the driver being awake than a camera.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If I have learned anything about safety features. They probably do.

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 1 points 6 days ago

If that's the case, I wonder how tesla is going to defend knowingly selling a vehicle that leads to innattention

[–] IndeterminateName@beehaw.org 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

God only knows, I'm just impressed it still functioned after exploding.

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[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 8 points 1 week ago

2025 didn't exactly open as the most vehicle-friendly year.

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