United States highway safety regulators have demanded that Tesla Motors hand over detailed information about the design, operation and testing of its Autopilot technology following a May 7 fatal crash in which the system was in use.
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Tesla’s co-founder pushed hard to launch the autopilot feature as soon as possible because “we knew we had a system that on balance would save lives”. The announcement follows an NHTSA investigation into one of the crashes, in which the driver of a Tesla Model S was killed when the sedan collided with the trailer of a semi-truck while using Autopilot.
The EV firm is not commenting any further on its plans for Autopilot, said a Tesla spokeswoman.
The firm is being investigated by the USA transport agency over the accident and is seeking information on more accidents where Autopilot, which helps drivers park, break and switch lanes in traffic, was in use.
Other companies’ autonomous system developments are gathering pace.
NHTSA said last week it is reviewing another crash in Pennsylvania in which the driver reportedly said he was using Autopilot. But that vehicle, called the Model 3, won’t be available until next year at the earliest.
Musk has also been under fire for Tesla’s $2.5-billion bid for Tesla’s sister company Solar City. The information request is a routine step in an investigation, spokesman Bryan Thomas said.
Tesla said it has not heard from the SEC. “And no one should be surprised if it ultimately leads nowhere”. The crash occurred on May 7 and was reported to NHTSA on May 16, the Wall Street Journal said.
The letter, sent on Friday and obtained by IDG News Service, also asks Tesla to hand over customer complaints about emergency braking of collision avoidance system and reports of crashes resulting in injury, death, or property damage. The company need to see if the autopilot is associated with accident or not. “And if it’s not material, the SEC’s not going to be able to find a violation”.
In the same blog post, the company also pointed out the built-in safety features created to ensure Autopilot is used correctly.
But the investigation, even if preliminary, could be problematic, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book. Tesla cited tax requirements as the reason for the sale of the stock, according to the Journal.
But the stock fell almost $3 in after-hours trading, perhaps as a result of news concerning the SEC investigation.
This brings into question the dependency on self-driving units.
While Autopilot is technically an assist feature as opposed a full on self-driving auto feature, you can bet regulators are going to want to make sure consumers are safe when behind the wheel.
Ultimately, the safety of a vehicle on autopilot is the driver’s responsibility, Tesla said.
“The driver can not abdicate responsibility”, Musk said a year ago.
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Tesla released Autopilot last fall. “It certainly withheld the facts that it wasn’t safe”.
