Tesla faces a criminal investigation into its claims about its driver assistance technology, according to Reuters. The US Department of Justice launched an investigation late last year into more than a dozen crashes, some of which were fatal, involving the company’s Autopilot feature.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk promises that actual driverless cars will be coming since 2016 — a promise he has yet to deliver. He stopped saying that Tesla will have 1 million robot axes on the road to 1 million people in the FSD beta program by the end of the year, which are completely different things.
The US Department of Justice launched an investigation into more than a dozen crashes late last year
Tesla vehicles today come standard with a driver assistance feature called Autopilot. For an additional $15,000, owners can buy the FSD option, which Musk has repeatedly promised will one day offer fully autonomous capabilities. But to date, FSD remains a “Level 2” advanced driver assistance system, meaning the driver must remain fully involved in the operation of the vehicle while it is in motion.
Beloved by fans and loathed by security advocates, the FSD software has gotten Tesla in a lot of hot water lately. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating 16 accidents in which Tesla car owners using Autopilot crashed into stationary emergency vehicles, injuring 15 and killing one. The probe has recently been upgraded to an “Engineering Analysis,” which is the second and final phase of an investigation before a potential recall.
The company has been accused by regulators of false advertising and sued by customers for allegedly misleading the capabilities of their vehicles. But FSD is also crucial to Musk’s vision of portraying Tesla as a leader in AI and robotics. And Musk has largely avoided any serious consequences in his pursuit of staying on the cutting edge of technology.
A Justice Department investigation represents a higher degree of scrutiny, as it carries the risk of criminal charges against Tesla or its executives. According to ReutersFederal prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are investigating whether Tesla misled consumers, investors and regulators by making unsupported claims about the capabilities of its driver assistance technology.
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