The grandparent comment doesn't claim Tesla is unique for making "expensive, multi-ton, high speed vehicles that can seriously maim or kill their occupants." It claims Tesla is unique for approaching that age old problem with a "fast-paced, startup-like business environment."

Put another way, is it appropriate to "move fast and break things" when human life is on the line?

I won't weigh in on whether it's appropriate or not, but the Europeans didn't reach America in the 1500s by waiting until they had a perfectly safe ship.

Perfect example. The Europeans moved on the Americas before they understood disease pathology, resulting in the deaths of up to 90% of the indigenous population.