The deputies said the car was speeding and could not move when it veered off the road, hit a tree, and burst into flames.
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The deputies said the car was speeding and could not move when it veered off the road, hit a tree, and burst into flames.
Two people have been killed in Texas in a Tesla fire accident and authorities say no one was in the driver's seat at the time of the accident, although it is not clear if the motorist assistance program was used.
A Harris County police officer told television stations in Houston that there was a man in the front seat and another in the back seat after the crash on Saturday night in the Houston area of Surb.
Constable Mark Herman of Harris County Precinct 4 said authorities were sure no one was driving at the time of the accident.
"They felt very confident about the condition of the bodies after the impact that no one was traveling in that car," Mr Herman told KHOU-TV.
The deputies said the car was speeding and could not move when it veered off the road, hit a tree, and burst into flames. The identity of the suspects had not been released on Sunday afternoon. KHOU reported that one was 69 years old and the other 59 years old.
Tesla did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.
Officials in charge of road safety are investigating a number of Tesla accidents where a possible Autopilot vehicle operation could be used, including accidents where vehicles were traveling under tractor trailers.
The company warns customers that its driver assistance system, called Autopilot, is not an independent driving system, and that they must pay attention and be prepared to manage the vehicle. However, the National Transportation Safety Board said last year that the design of the system allows drivers to avoid attention and fail to set a limit on where Autopilot can be used.
KPRC-TV reported that the brother-in-law of one of the victims said it took four hours to put out the blaze. Authorities say the car's batteries are recurring, and Mr Herman said deputies called Tesla and asked how they would put out the fire. Tesla publishes the details of the first responders, including the location of the most powerful cables.
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