Two men died after a Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) vehicle believed to be operating in self-driving mode crashed into a tree north of Houston, Texas.
Authorities said the 2019 Tesla Model S was traveling at a high rate of speed when it failed to negotiate a curve and went off the roadway, crashing into a tree and bursting into flames, killing two occupants in the car.
The accident comes amid growing scrutiny over Tesla's semi-automated driving system following recent accidents and as it is preparing to launch its updated "full self-driving" software to more customers.
The U.S. auto safety agency said in March that it has opened 27 investigations into crashes of Tesla vehicles. Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in January of this year that he expects huge profits from the company’s self-driving software, saying he is "highly confident the car will be able to drive itself with reliability in excess of humans this year."
