
Tesla shouldn’t call the Autopilot driver assistance system an autopilot because the company’s cars can’t drive on their own. This was stated by US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, writes Associated Press.
The official expressed concern about the company’s marketing.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to call something like autopilot when the fine print says you have to keep your hands on the wheel and keep your eyes on the road,” Buttigieg said.
He warned that the agency would hold Tesla or any other company accountable for failing to comply with federal safety standards.
“Here you need to remain objective. But every time a company does something wrong, or a vehicle needs to be recalled, we will do it,” the minister said.
Buttigieg acknowledged the “tremendous potential” of robotic vehicles. According to him, they can reduce the number of deaths on the roads, which in the US alone is recorded to 40,000 a year.
However, the minister believes that existing technologies are unable to achieve this goal.
“It is far from automatic to realize this potential. This is what we are trying to shape here at the Ministry of Transport,” he said.
Tesla has repeatedly faced criticism over the names of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance systems. Experts argue that, despite the words “autopilot” and “fully self-guided”, these features fall short of expectations.
In October 2022, the media reported that the US Department of Justice had launched a criminal investigation into the Autopilot and FSD advertising promises. Similar allegations against the company were made by the California Department of Transportation.
In September, robo-car owners filed a class-action lawsuit against Tesla over allegedly false advertising for driver-assistance systems.
Since 2016 NHTSA investigates Over 30 crashes that likely involved Tesla’s Autopilot features.
Also in February 2023, the agency ordered the manufacturer revoke almost 363,000 vehicles due to problems with the driver assistance system.
Recall that in January 2023, Tesla was accused of creating staged commercials about autonomous driving technology.
In December, California authorities banned the manufacturer from calling the autopilot Full Self-Driving.
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Tesla shouldn’t call the Autopilot driver assistance system an autopilot because the company’s cars can’t drive on their own. This was stated by US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, writes Associated Press.
The official expressed concern about the company’s marketing.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to call something like autopilot when the fine print says you have to keep your hands on the wheel and keep your eyes on the road,” Buttigieg said.
He warned that the agency would hold Tesla or any other company accountable for failing to comply with federal safety standards.
“Here you need to remain objective. But every time a company does something wrong, or a vehicle needs to be recalled, we will do it,” the minister said.
Buttigieg acknowledged the “tremendous potential” of robotic vehicles. According to him, they can reduce the number of deaths on the roads, which in the US alone is recorded to 40,000 a year.
However, the minister believes that existing technologies are unable to achieve this goal.
“It is far from automatic to realize this potential. This is what we are trying to shape here at the Ministry of Transport,” he said.
Tesla has repeatedly faced criticism over the names of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance systems. Experts argue that, despite the words “autopilot” and “fully self-guided”, these features fall short of expectations.
In October 2022, the media reported that the US Department of Justice had launched a criminal investigation into the Autopilot and FSD advertising promises. Similar allegations against the company were made by the California Department of Transportation.
In September, robo-car owners filed a class-action lawsuit against Tesla over allegedly false advertising for driver-assistance systems.
Since 2016 NHTSA investigates Over 30 crashes that likely involved Tesla’s Autopilot features.
Also in February 2023, the agency ordered the manufacturer revoke almost 363,000 vehicles due to problems with the driver assistance system.
Recall that in January 2023, Tesla was accused of creating staged commercials about autonomous driving technology.
In December, California authorities banned the manufacturer from calling the autopilot Full Self-Driving.
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