Trump Tower blast investigation proves Tesla a super car
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Investigations into the surprise explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck at the premises of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, have unveiled the details of innovative technology and security features that mark out Tesla as world leading automobile model.
Local reports surveyed by The Oracle Today showed that internal investigation commanded by Elon Musk shortly after a rented Cybertruck was engulfed in flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, proved that the blast resulted from of an explosive device delo9berately planted in the vehicle.
The result of the investigation, according to Tesla, established that the cause of the explosion and where the vehicle had travelled from.
The Oracle Today reports that the explosion captured global attention, combining the intrigue of a high-tech vehicle with a politically charged setting. From the fiery blast’s aftermath to the questions surrounding its motive, and the event left authorities and the public searching for answers.
Using the wealth of data transmitted by the vehicles, Tesla employees and investigators were able to establish the cause of the explosion and where the vehicle had travelled from.
Musk said that telemetry information had revealed how the fireball was “unrelated to the vehicle itself”, saying it was instead the result of an explosive device.
Meanwhile, police were able to retrace the car’s journey from Colorado to Las Vegas by using information from Tesla’s charging stations.
Just a few years ago a vehicle’s manufacturer would have been of little help to law enforcement, particularly once a vehicle had rolled off the production line.
However, advanced modern vehicles are able to provide a stream of real-time data that can prove crucial to police investigations.
For example, Tesla vehicles have an array of sensors, cameras and mobile transmitters that collect driving footage and diagnostic information.
This enables the cars to “transmit their state of health continuously”, according to a social media post from Musk, who added: “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
The data helped investigators establish that the ignition, which killed a person inside the car, was not the result of a battery fire – as might have been suspected – but was potentially linked to the terror attack in New Orleans just hours earlier.
Tesla’s privacy policy states that the company collects a trove of readings, including speed information, odometer readings, charging data and location signals.
In certain circumstances, cars will also transmit videos from eight or nine cameras built inside the car, which are used by its self-driving software, and to ensure that drivers are paying attention.
Tesla says the data is anonymised or encrypted, and largely used to improve its products.
However, personal data can be accessed in certain circumstances, as in the case of “safety events”.
Cars will automatically transmit videos of accidents, for example, while a vehicle’s location can also be identified during an emergency.
Tesla lists complying with “law enforcement and other government requests” as among the reasons it might access personal data.
The vehicles also store a record of where they have been recharged on the company’s supercharger network, allowing police on this occasion to track the driver’s journey to Las Vegas.
“We do know the truck was rented in Colorado,” Kevin McMahill, Vegas sheriff, said on Wednesday. “We were able to trace that truck through the Tesla charging stations.”
The Las Vegas explosion is not the first time data recorded by Tesla cars have been used in policework.
Footage from the vehicles’ sentry mode, which acts as a security camera when the car is locked and parked, has been used in several investigations – even if a car’s owner has not been willing to give up the clips.
Police in Oakland, California, used video captured by a Model X to charge two suspects in a murder investigation last year, although since the video was stored on a USB stick in the car itself, officers had to obtain a warrant and tow the car.
Tesla is also collecting video and car usage information as it builds its self-driving vehicle software, with huge collections of real-world data needed to train its systems.
However, the company’s practices have drawn scrutiny from privacy activists concerned about the personal data being hoovered up by modern vehicles.
In 2023 the non-profit Mozilla Foundation declared that the car industry collected too much personal data about drivers, with Tesla named one of the worst offenders.
That could be a blessing for law enforcement, however, as police grow increasingly reliant on modern-day cars to tackle crime.
