The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking the company to “revisit its communications” to make sure messages are consistent with user instructions.
The request came in a May email to the company from Gregory Magno, a division chief with the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation. It was attached to a letter seeking information on a probe into crashes involving Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system in low-visibility conditions. The letter was posted on the agency’s website.
The agency began the investigation in October after getting reports of four crashes involving “Full Self-Driving” when Teslas encountered sun glare, fog and airborne dust. An Arizona pedestrian was killed in one of the crashes.
Critics, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have long accused Tesla of using deceptive names for its partially automated driving systems, including “Full Self-Driving” and “Autopilot,” both of which have been viewed by owners as fully autonomous.
The letter and email raise further questions about whether Full Self-Driving will be ready for use without human drivers on public roads, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted. Much of Tesla’s stock valuation hinges on the company deploying a fleet of autonomous robotaxis.
Musk, who has promised autonomous vehicles before, said the company plans to have autonomous Models Y and 3 running without human drivers next year. Robotaxis without steering wheels would be available in 2026 starting in California and Texas, he said.
In the email, Magno writes that Tesla briefed the agency in April on an offer of a free trial of “Full Self-Driving” and emphasized that the owner’s manual, user interface and a YouTube video tell humans that they have to remain vigilant and in full control of their vehicles.
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CHINA'S CATL FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH STELLANTIS TO BUILD ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY FACTORY IN SPAIN
Chinese electric battery company CATL and automaker Stellantis will build a major battery factory in northern Spain, the partners announced this week.
TIKTOK ASKS FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO BAR ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL BAN UNTIL SUPREME COURT REVIEW
TikTok asked a federal appeals court on Monday to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge to the statute.
META SHAREHOLDERS SEEK SANCTIONS FOR SANDBERG, ZIENTS FOR DELETING CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA EMAILS
2018 shareholder lawsuit that alleged Facebook officers and directors violated both the law and their fiduciary duties in failing for years to protect the privacy of user data.
BOEING LAYS OFF HUNDREDS IN WASHINGTON AND CALIFORNIA AS PART OF CUTS ANNOUNCED PREVIOUSLY
Boeing has laid off hundreds of additional employees in Washington state and California as part of planned cuts that will eventually reduce the company’s workforce by about 17,000.
NASA PUSHES BACK ASTRONAUT FLIGHTS TO THE MOON AGAIN
NASA announced more delays in sending astronauts back to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo.
BILLIONAIRE WHO PERFORMED THE FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK IS TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD NASA
A tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead NASA.
FROM 'LOVE ACTUALLY' TO 'BLACK DOVES' WITH BEN WHISHAW, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY HAS YOUR CHRISTMAS COVERED
Keira Knightley starred in one of the most popular Christmas films of the 21st century, the 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually.”
FORTNITE PLAYERS 'TRICKED' INTO UNWANTED PURCHASES ARE STARTING TO GET REFUNDS. HERE'S HOW TO APPLY
U.S. consumers who were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week.
CHINA'S BAN ON KEY HIGH-TECH MATERIALS COULD HAVE BROAD IMPACT ON INDUSTRIES ECONOMY
China has banned exports of key materials used to make a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, radar systems and CT scanners, swiping back at Washington after it expanded export controls to include dozens of Chinese companies that make equipment used to produce advanced computer chips.
'MOANA 2' CRUISES TO ANOTHER RECORD WEEKEND AND $600 MILLION GLOBALLY
The Walt Disney Co.’s animated film “Moana 2” remained at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it brought in another record haul.
