Viral Video Of Tata Harrier EV Running Over Man: Why Early Reports Might Be Wrong

Late yesterday, a video went viral. The video showed a driver-less Tata Harrier.EV rolling backwards on a steep ramp, taking a man down in the process. The man was trying to get into the SUV in an attempt to stop it from rolling back. The attempt failed, ending in him getting slammed to the floor, suffering a head injury, and tragically dying in the process.

First, the video.

Summon Mode Failed, or Human Error? What we think happened

It appears that the man who died may have been trying to demonstrate Summon Mode. We think the car would not go into Summon Mode, as there were too many objects around.

So, it's probable that the man opened the door of the car to check why the car was not going into summon mode.

He perhaps did not realize the car automatically deactivates Summon Mode as soon as the door is opened. While summon mode was deactivated, the electric parking brake also got disengaged momentarily.

While this would have caused no concern on flat ground, a steep slope changed everything. The electric parking brake's disengagement caused the 2.2 ton car to begin rolling down the slope.

The tragedy unfolded when he tried to desperately get back into the driver's seat to stop the car. He could not do it, the car rolled quickly down the slope, the open door hit him and slammed him to the ground.

Now, why are we coming to this conclusion, you'll have to read on to find out. Do note that only Tata will be able to describe the exact sequence of events after checking ECU data.

Breaking the video down, it's apparent that there are a bunch of people around the Tata Harrier.EV. It appears that the owner / driver of the car is demonstrating something: Summon mode?

Now, what is Summon Mode?

Summon mode is the term that Tata Motors has given to 'Park-In or Park-Out' mode. Park-In/Park-Out happens without the driver in the driver's seat: in other words, the car autonomously parks/unparks itself over short distances. When Summon Mode is activated, the Harrier.EV drives in or backs out of a parking slot with the driver standing outside it, and controlling the parking maneuver using the vehicle's key fob.

But was it the Summon Mode that caused this tragic incident?

Unlikely, and here's our explanation.

In this specific case, the key fob is not visible. So, at the outset, it's hard to even say whether the car was in Summon Mode in the first place. We only have other visuals and a few assumptions to go by.

The man who died is seen near the car, and is only partially visible with his back facing the camera. The turn indicators are blinking, and the parking light is on. This points to the fact that the car's lights are turned on. Do note, lights being turned on doesn't mean motor turned on!

In a Tata Harrier, if both turn indicators blink at once, it either means the hazard lights are on, or that the car is being unlocked/locked, or that the car is under an emergency braking maneuver or that the car is being put into summon mode.

The reverse lamp, which is housed in both sides of the rear bumper, is invisible from this angle. Since nobody appears to be inside the car and the car was on a steep parking ramp at an incline, it's very likely that the electric parking brake was engaged.

If you watch the video closely (after slowing it down to 0.25X), the brakes come on multiple times and so do the turn indicators. This means someone is manipulating the key fob/light controls of the vehicle. Since nobody seems to be in the car, it's likely that the man who was standing outside the Harrier.EV was manipulating the key fob. (This is even before the door was opened)

Enter Summon Mode

It seems that the summon mode is being activated and deactivated multiple times through the key fob although it's not visible in the video. We're saying this because locking and unlocking a car will not turn the brake lights of the car at full power on or off. The brake lights will come on brightly only when the brake is manually depressed.

On the other hand, trying to turn the Summon Mode on or off will make the tail lamps and indicators come on, and then the tail lamps will go off while the indicators will continue flashing together in a hazard light pattern as the car begins moving in either direction: forward or backwards.

To illustrate, here's how the brake lights and turn indicators function when Summon mode is activated.

Coming back to the main video, the man then opens the door of the car. There's a minor jerk (visible when the video's speed is slowed down to 0.25X). This jerk (suspension getting loaded) could be the man stepping into the car to do something, or the electric parking brake getting released.

Do note that pressing the brake pedal manually will also deactivate the electric parking brake. However, the brake light doesn't come on (which means he didn't press the brake) and it's unlikely that he deactivated the electric parking brake manually as that would have required him to lean in.

Whatever had happened between the 11th and 13th second, it seems like,

1. The car was forced out of summon mode by the door being opened

2. The car's electric parking brake was momentarily released when it was forced out of summon mode.

3. All of this happened on a steep slope (where the Summon mode is not designed to work).

This disengagement plus inertia meant that the car started rolling backwards before the electric parking brake could re-engage. This is also perhaps why Tata Motors clearly states in the owner's manual that Summon Mode must not be used on a steep gradient.

Notice that both the turn indicators are off, and so are the tail lamps. Now, when Summon Mode is activated in the Harrier.EV, both turn indicators begin blinking in a hazard lights pattern. That is missing here. So, the car is not in Summon Mode.

Then the vehicle rolls backwards through the steep ramp, slamming the man to the floor as he loses balance, and the front tyre appears to run over the fallen man's right leg. The vehicle then rolls on backward across the road, climbs some kind of incline on the other side of the road, and begins rolling forward again. All along, the turn indicators are off! This means the car is not in Summon Mode.

Another man jumps into the car, and hits the brake to stop it from going forward. Again, had the car been in Summon Mode, it would have

1. Stopped after sensing the obstacle at its rear

2. Would not have rolled forward.

Based on the footage, it appears more likely to have been driver error (caused by trying to activate/deactivate Summon mode on a gradient and then opening the door) rather than an outright Summon Mode malfunction - though this cannot be confirmed until ECU data is out.

If you're a Tata Harrier.EV owner, make sure that you follow these instructions while using Summon Mode. Click on picture to expand!

Meanwhile, Tata Motors has put out a statement on the incident. Here's what it reads:

"We were informed of the tragic accident and are deeply saddened by the loss. Our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt support are with the deceased's family. We are currently gathering all relevant facts. Preliminary observations from the video shared online/on social media suggests that the vehicle may have rolled back from the top of a slope due to gravity and ricocheted after striking an unknown object, suggesting that the motor was not engaged. The vehicle remains with the family and has been driven since the incident, and we have not yet had the opportunity to inspect it."

We shall revisit this story as and when more information about this tragedy becomes available.

Final thoughts

About the high level of automation on modern cars, we are of the opinion that some things can be simpler. For instance, a summon mode is wholly unnecessary. If one can't park, she or he shouldn't be driving. Edge cases do not merit the addition of technology that is just too complex for most people to understand.

For instance, an electric parking brake does allow automation such as Summon Mode, but is less intuitive than a physical handbrake. Also, it's easy to unwittingly disable the electric parking brake with the touch of the brake pedal.

With a regular hand brake, it would involve a separate, highly deliberate action. Many, who are new to a car, may not really wrap their heads around how things work initially. So, it's always a better idea to keep things as simple as possible. Automakers would do well to remember that car drivers aren't trained aircraft pilots, and that most drivers don't know that the owner's manual needs to be read cover-to-cover before actual ownership.