Tesla Recalls Over 1.1 Million EVs In China Due To Braking Issue: Report

The US automaker will issue over-the-air software updates to 1.1 million units of its Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y cars, both imported and China-made, the Chinese market regulator said

The Chinese regulator State Administration for Market Regulation in a statement said that the recall is to reduce the chance of accidents. 

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Elon Musk-owned Tesla has recalled over 1.1 million electric vehicles (EVs) sold in China, in response to a braking problem, announced the Chinese market regulator on Friday. According to a Reuters report, the State Administration for Market Regulation in a statement said that the recall is to reduce the chance of accidents. 

From May 29, the US automaker will issue over-the-air software updates to 1.1 million units of its Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y cars, both imported and China-made, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement, according to the report. 

However, it was not clear if drivers might need, or would be eligible, to return vehicles to Tesla for refunds, the report noted. 

The regulator said the vehicles concerned did not allow drivers to turn off regenerative braking or provide enough warnings when drivers stepped on the accelerator pedal hard, which, combined, could increase the risk of collision. The update will restore the option of switching off regenerative braking and warn drivers when they step hard on the accelerator pedal. 

Regenerative braking is used in EVs to capture the energy that the vehicle has due to its motion or, in other words, its kinetic energy that would have been wasted when the vehicle decelerates or comes to a standstill while braking.

Regenerative braking works to save energy from the process of slowing a car, feeding the surplus to batteries to increase its driving range. In 2020, Tesla disabled the option to switch off the technique on its cars, the report noted. 

The technology often called one-pedal driving had been welcomed by certain Chinese consumers since it allowed them to stop a car completely without using the brake pedal, the report said adding others, however, claimed that it would mislead drivers and raise the possibility of accelerator slippage.

Chinese police have been investigating a crash involving a Model Y car in which a motorcyclist and a high school girl died and three people were injured when the driver lost control of the vehicle last November, the report said. 

Tesla, At the time, said videos showed the car's brake lights were not on while it was speeding and data showed issues such as there being no action to step on the brakes throughout its journey.