The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation last month into the May 7 accident that killed a Tesla motorist in Williston, Florida, according to CNN Money. NHTSA requires the first round of information from Tesla by July 29, with a complete package of information due by August 26, though Tesla can request an extension if it needs more time. “NHTSA has not made any determination about the presence or absence of a defect in the subject vehicles”. The information request is a routine step in an investigation into the crash, spokesman Bryan Thomas said.
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However, in Tesla’s case it is slightly complicated as the automaker aggressively promote its latest autopilot system, which at present is market as the most advance self-driving technology on the road.
Tesla has the ability to lock out Autopilot features-after all, many customers who received their Teslas before the tech was fully ready had the required radar and camera hardware, but didn’t have Autopilot activated until a later over-the-air software update (this includes our vehicle, as we have a long-term Model S). Paul Grieco, one of the lawyers for the Brown family, told Reuters his firm has received calls from other Tesla owners involved in accidents, some involving autopilot and others not. “As road conditions became increasingly uncertain, the vehicle again alerted the driver to put his hands on the wheel”, said Tesla. “We call on you to halt the implementation of a self-driving vehicle policy until adequate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering autonomous technologies are implemented through a public rulemaking process”.
This shows the NHTSA’s investigation is less about Autopilot as a complete technology and more about the specifics of the crash, which occurred in Florida.
Keep in mind that removing the hands from the steering wheel for too long directly violates the terms drivers agree to when they turn on the feature.
A Tesla Model X crashed while in Autopilot mode over the weekend in Montana, but the owner says he’d buy another Tesla. The company also fell short of its quarterly manufacturing mark by more than 3,000 vehicles. In that crash, according to a report on Electrek, a clean technology transport news website, a Model X driver said Autopilot was engaged when the auto slammed into a guardrail. Bloomberg reports the agency is looking into whether there is a wider issue involving semi-autonomous driving systems in the U.S.
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The agency is seeking details of all design changes and updates to Autopilot since it went into use a year ago, and information on whether Tesla plans updates in the next four months.
