Paris taxi firm suspends use of Tesla Model 3 cars after fatal crash

The biggest taxi firm in Paris has said it is suspending the use of Model 3 Teslas in its fleet after a fatal crash in the French capital at the weekend.

A driver lost control of his Tesla on Saturday night in the south-eastern 13th district of Paris, killing one person and injuring 20, leaving three people in intensive care.

Paris prosecutors on Saturday opened an investigation into the incident.

Given the speed and the trajectory of the vehicle, which struck multiple objects as it careened down the street, there were initially suspicions of a malfunction such as a stuck accelerator.

The G7 taxi company, which claims to be the biggest firm in Europe, said 37 of its drivers used the Tesla Model 3, and other Tesla models would remain in service.

The French transport minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, said on Wednesday there was no suggestion at this stage that the crash was caused by a technical fault.

Tesla collects detailed data from the sensors and cameras on its vehicles and has used such data in the past to challenge claims that incidents were caused by malfunctioning technology.