Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving feature, called Autopilot, is getting a lot of negative press recently after it was revealed that the feature was switch on in a fatal Tesla crash earlier this year. The publication, which issues an annual review of the top vehicles available on the market, advocated for Tesla to reprogram its Autopilot feature to require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.
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The autopilot feature was not activated when a Tesla Model X got into a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike this month, the company says.
The carmaker notes that it appreciates feedback from both individuals and groups, but points out that the decisions it makes are based entirely on “real-world data, not speculation by media”. The system didn’t detect a tractor-trailer that had turned in front of Brown in bright sunshine, and Brown didn’t react.
Naming the system Autopilot gives drivers a false sense of security, said Laura MacCleery, Consumer Reports’ vice president of consumer policy. However, she underlines that there are concerns over the “unproven technology”.
M – In the wake of questions raised by a fatal crash in May, Consumer Reports called on Tesla to disable some self-driving features of its Autopilot system and to dial back marketing hype, which CR says leads people to assume the vehicle truly can drive itself.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has refused to disable the system, which could be done through an over-the-air software update, and has instead repeatedly defended it and said it’s safer than human driving.
“With Tesla, they’re saying themselves that this is beta – we’re not sure that it’s always going to work right”, Fisher said. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form.
They also demanded all Tesla’s records of other crashes and driver complaints, and details on the functioning of the cars’ automatic emergency braking system.
NHTSA is investigating the May 7 crash of a Model S driver who was using the autopilot, Mail Online Wires reported.
“As road conditions became increasingly uncertain, the vehicle again alerted the driver to put his hands on the wheel”. “We will continue to develop, validate, and release those enhancements as the technology grows”.
Tesla has described Autopilot as a “beta” feature.
Joshua Brown, 40, of OH was driving in Autopilot mode that failed to stop when a tractor-trailer turned in front of his auto in Williston, Florida.
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Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who heads the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, asked the automaker to brief the committee by July 29 on the accident and Tesla’s response to it, according to the letter seen by Reuters.
