The leading Parisian taxi company G7 has stopped all its Tesla 3 cars after a serious accident over the weekend, Reuters reported, citing a company statement.
According to French media reports, a Tesla 3 car hit a cyclist and three pedestrians before crashing into a van. Seven people were seriously injured in the accident.
G7 Deputy CEO Jan Ricordel said the use of the Tesla 3 models would be suspended until the police investigation is completed. Ricordel said the taxi driver was not at work at the time of the incident on Saturday night, but was driving his family to a restaurant.
Ricordel said that the initial investigation of “Tesla” ruled out the hypothesis of a technical malfunction of the car. Reuters was unable to contact Tesla for comment.
Tesla collects detailed data from sensors and cameras on its vehicles and has used similar data in the past to challenge accident claims.
Shares of Tesla fell 3.5 percent on the US market, and the Nasdaq index fell 2 percent.
G7 Deputy CEO Jan Ricordel said that Tesla 3 car owners would be fully compensated for their losses during the suspension of these models. The company is looking for alternatives so that drivers can resume work on the G7 as soon as possible.
The G7 is one of the largest taxi companies in Paris with 9,000 drivers who are independent operators and car owners. Half of the G7’s cars are electric or hybrid models, and the company aims to have only “green” cars by 2027.
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