Brand new Tesla cars sit in a parking lot at a Tesla showroom on June 27, 2022 in Corte Madera, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | beautiful pictures
The California Department of Motor Vehicles charged Tesla engaged in deceptive practices around the marketing of its driver-assistance systems, branded Autopilot and Full Self Driving in the United States, according to filings with the public administration.
Elon Musk’s electric car business risks more than reputation – in the worst case scenario, the company could temporarily lose its license to operate as a vehicle manufacturer and auto dealer in California.
In a pair of files dated July 28 with the California Office of Administrative Hearings, a DMV official and attorney wrote:
“Rather than simply identifying the product name or brand, these ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ labels and descriptions represent that vehicles equipped with ADAS features will function as a vehicle. autonomous vehicles, but vehicles equipped with those ADAS features could not function in the days of those advertisements, and cannot now function as autonomous vehicles.”
California DMV’s Deputy Director of the Office of Public Affairs Anita Gore told CNBC via e-mail that if the department prevails, it “will require Tesla to advertise to consumers and better educate its operators.” Tesla drivers about its capabilities ‘ Autopilot and ‘Full self-driving’ features, including warning warnings about the limitations of the features and other actions if violated if appropriate. “
The LA time previously reported DMV records to the administration.
Tesla has fifteen days to respond to the charges before the administrative court, or else the DMV will issue a default decision.
Tesla includes Autopilot driver-assistance features in all of its newly manufactured cars and sells a premium FSD (or Full Self-Driving) option for $12,000 upfront or on a subscription basis. Sign up for $199 per month. Occasionally, the company sells an Advanced Autonomous Driving option with a portion of premium features included.
Elon Musk’s electric car maker also allows drivers to test unfinished driver-assistance features on public roads in the US through a program called FSD Beta (or Full Self Driving Beta).
Only Tesla owners who have the company’s premium FSD system installed can participate in the FSD Beta. Owners must achieve a high driver safety score, as determined by Tesla software that monitors their driving, and then maintain that score to continue using the FSD Beta. The company says it has rolled out FSD Beta access to more than 100,000 drivers, most of them in the US
Automakers, including Tesla, are now required to report significant crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Tesla According to federal data released in early July, vehicles accounted for about 70%, or more than 270, of the reported crashes involving these systems between June of this year. 2021 through July 2022. The data is not intended to indicate which automaker’s systems may be most secure.
NHTSA has also initiated at least 37 crash investigations specifically related to crashes involving Tesla vehicles, where the company’s driver assistance system is believed to be a factor. At least 17 deaths from those crashes inspired special NHTSA crash investigations.
NHTSA has also opened a review of Tesla’s Autopilot technology to confirm whether it is defective and in need of a recall, following a string of crashes in which Tesla vehicles hit a stationary emergency vehicle. .
