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Tesla driver blames 'new car smell' in fatal cyclist crash

According to the accident report compiled by the California Highway Patrol, 63-year-old driver Navindra Kumar Jain fell asleep at the wheel while driving northbound on Highway 1 in Santa Cruz, crossed into the oncoming, southbound lane, crested a small hill and then while doing 55 miles per hour hit a southbound cyclist who was riding on the shoulder. The cyclist, Joshua Alper, died at the scene. Jain was driving a Tesla Model S he had bought ten days earlier and said that the intense new-car smell - which he attempted to counter with a baking-soda scented air freshener - caused him to fall asleep.
The accident happened in November, and after a three-month investigation the Santa Cruz district attorney has decided to charge Jain with "misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter." As you could guess, there are still plenty of unresolved issues. Jain has said he "fell asleep" and there was nothing mechanically wrong with the car he had bought ten days before the incident. His attorney, however, says "he passed out while driving and still does not know what caused the accident," and that the Tesla "and all its component parts" must be thoroughly tested. The CHP tore the Tesla apart, standard practice in manslaughter cases, and, not having found anything amiss, declared the driver at fault. Observers, and especially cyclists, want to know why Jain was only charged with a misdemeanor, and why he hasn't yet been arrested. Some might ask why he didn't just roll down a window.
It will take the courts to decide - that's "courts," plural. In addition to the criminal case, Alper's family is suing Jain and Tesla, appearing to cover its bases with the new-car-smell defense by accusing the Model S of being "defective and unreasonably dangerous when used in a normal, intended and foreseeable manner." That seems like a stretch to us, but it's not like bizarre defenses haven't ever swayed a sentencing before. No matter the verdict in the criminal or civil cases, though, with Joshua Alper gone, nobody wins.

Recharge Wrap-up: Shell stops AK ocean drilling, Lego Tesla Model S

Shell says it will halt exploratory drilling near Alaska's coast. While the oil giant has found some oil and gas below the waters, the amount it is finding is not worth the high costs of drilling. Shell also cites "the challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment in offshore Alaska" as part of its decision to move on from drilling in the Chukchi Sea, but it is possible public protests had an impact, too. Read more at Treehugger, and in the press release from Shell below. The University of Central Florida's Electric Vehicle Transportation Center will host the EV Transportation and Technology Summit from October 20 to 22 in Cocoa, Florida. The summit is geared toward businesses and organizations with the goals of increasing EV awareness, reviewing current and near future technology, and pointing out deployment achievements and challenges. While its coverage will be more general, the event will focus especially on planning and infrastructure requirements. Learn more at Hybrid Cars, or at the event website. The Tesla Model S still looks good when scaled down for a Lego minifig. A man named Cole Edmonson created a tiny brick version of the iconic EV, and managed to retain the car's distinguishing good looks. Edmonson provides a write-up detailing the process of creating the small, plastic Tesla copy. It's considerably more complicated than one would think. Check out the whole process at Brick Replicas, and read more from The Brothers Brick. Renault and Donfeng will build an electric car in China based on the Fluence ZE. The joint venture between the two automakers - called Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) - will produce the car in its Wuhan plant in 2017. The car will be sold solely in the Chinese market under a local Dongfeng brand. "This EV agreement illustrates Renault's engagement as partner of COP 21," says DRAC CEO Jacques Daniel. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below. Dongfeng and Renault agree to produce electric vehicles in China On the occasion of the visit of ZHU Yangfeng, Chairman of Dongfeng Group, at the Renault R&D center, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) announces the production of its first electric vehicle in China. As part of the Joint Venture between Dongfeng and Renault, DRAC will produce an electric vehicle that is based on the Fluence Z.E.

Recharge Wrap-up: Elon Musk talks autonomous cars, Renault to run ZOE in ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally

Elon Musk discussed the autonomous driving capabilities of the Tesla Model S with NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. He said the car is already equipped with the hardware needed for highway driving. "Even with the current sensor suite, we could make the car go fully autonomous, but not a level of reliability that would be safe in, say, a complex urban environment at 30 miles an hour," says Musk. That would require "a bigger sensor suite, and you need more computing power." Huang and Musk also discussed car hacking and artificial intelligence during the interview at the 2015 GPU Technology Conference. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Renault will send four of its ZOE electric cars to the ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) Monte-Carlo Rally. The rally, which travels through the principality beginning and ending at the Port of Monaco, is open to electric cars with ranges of less than 250 kilometers (about 155 miles). Visitors can also explore an "electric village," which includes vehicle test drives and information about the future of automobiles. The race takes place from March 20 through 22. Read more in the press release from Renault below. A Seattle-area Nissan dealership has opened a "charging depot" with six fast chargers. Bellevue Nissan now claims to have a larger group of fast chargers than any other dealership in the country. The chargers are part of the NRG eVgo network, and will be available to drivers around the clock every day of the week. They'll also be part of Nissan's "No Charge To Charge" program for Leaf customers. Washington Governor Jay Inslee was on hand at the dealership for the opening, where he called such fast charging stations, "the backbone of our future transportation infrastructure." Read more at Hybrid Cars. A coalition of environmental groups and renewable energy advocates want New York to require all heating oil sold in the state to include at least two percent biodiesel. The proposal passed the Assembly's Committee on Environmental Conservation Tuesday. Its sponsor is Assemblyman Steven Englebright, a Long Island Democrat who says a biodiesel standard would reduce carbon emissions while boosting the state's agricultural industry. Supporters of a biodiesel standard include the New York League of Conservation Voters, the New York Public Interest Research Group and the state's Corn and Soybean Growers Association. Conventional oil companies are opposed.