Tesla is said to be the subject of a criminal investigation in the United States because the driver-assistance technology – and the claims they have made about it – is subjected to a microscope.
Reuters reports from three people familiar with the matter that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation last year after more than a dozen crashes when Tesla’s autonomous driving system was active.
Some crashes have been fatal.
Prosecutors in Washington DC and San Francisco are reportedly examining whether Tesla misled consumers, investors and regulators by making unsupported statements about its ability to of driver assistance technology.
This investigation represents a more serious level of scrutiny than previous investigations, the sources said, as it could lead to criminal charges against the company or individual executives.
The DOJ may also seek civil sanctions.
The Autopilot investigation is currently competing with two other DOJ investigations involving Tesla, a source said. Reutersadded that there is still a lot of work to be done and no decisions are imminent.
Autopilot is billed as a Level 2 autonomous driving feature, as is the Full Self-Driving beta – despite what its name may seem to imply.
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Level 2 technology requires the driver to remain attentive even when the vehicle is controlling acceleration, braking and steering.
Tesla said it do not expect regulatory approval for its autonomous driving technology until next year. They are planning to widely release Full Self-Driving technology this quarter.
Federal and California safety regulators are scrutinizing whether Tesla encourages car owners to treat their vehicles as driverless.
In August 2021, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into a series of crashes, one fatality in which Teslas equipped with Autopilot collided with vehicles. emergency vehicles and stationary road maintenance on site.
The active NHTSA poll includes 830,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot.
In June 2022, they confirmed that they were upgrading the investigation to “technical analysis”, identifying 16 accidents. Such a step is required before it can request a revocation.
A month later, the California Department of Motor Vehicles accusing Tesla of deceiving customers about the capabilities of Autopilot and Full Autopilot. Tesla has filed paperwork with the agency seeking a hearing.
In a complaint filed with the California Office of Administrative Hearings, dated July 28, it calls for the sale and revocation of Tesla’s license to sell and manufacture cars in the State.
It also called on Tesla to compensate the parties for financial loss or damage and for any other “fair and appropriate” action required.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been outspoken about the possibilities of his company’s driver-assist technology.
On a 2016 conference call, he described Autopilot as “probably better” than a human driver, even though he switched targets.
Just last week, he said it would take up to an update next year for the company’s driver-assist technology to “be able to show managers that cars are much, much safer than the average human.” often” and that cars with the beta Full Self-Driving feature “will be able to get you from home to work, to your friends house, to the grocery store when you touch the wheel”.
Sometimes he made contradictory statements in the same breath. During a similar earnings call last week, Mr Musk said: “It’s like we’re not saying we’re ready to have no one behind the wheel. It’s just that you’ll almost never have to touch the controls, the people driving the vehicle.”
He continued: “But I think we’re going to be pretty close… that you won’t have anyone in the car by the end of the year. And certainly, without question, whatever is on my mind, next year.”
Musk’s claims aside, Tesla has been careful to publish legal disclaimers that say its technology doesn’t make cars self-driving.
For example, on Tesla’s website, it warns that before activating the Autopilot feature, the driver must first agree to “keep their hands on the wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for the vehicle.” your”.
In an interview with Automotive News in 2020, after a German court called Autopilot misleading, Musk blamed driver misuse for subsequent criticism of its Autopilot feature.
“A small number of people misuse Autopilot, not because they are new to it and don’t understand it. People who use Autopilot for the first time are extremely paranoid about it,” he said.
“So it’s not like, ‘Oh, if you just used a different name, I’d actually treat it differently.’ Tendencies – what just happened is because someone is abusing it and using it as opposed to how we were told it should be used.
“They ignored the car beeping, flashing the warning, doing everything they could.
“Unlike some people who just got the car and, based on the name, thought they would immediately trust this car to drive itself. That’s the stupid premise of being annoyed with the name Autopilot. Idol. “
He added that the name comes from aircraft technology, which is designed to maintain altitude and direction.
