An influential magazine read by millions of auto enthusiasts is urging electric vehicle maker Tesla to disable the automatic steering function in its Autopilot driving-assist system, which is under investigation after a fatal crash.
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Yes, there was a recent accident, and yes, it was fatal.
The watchdog magazine points out that the automaker is confusing its customers by branding its driver-assisting system Autopilot. The numbers don’t lie.
American non-profit rating magazine, Consumer Reports has called on Tesla to give up on its autopilot feature until and unless it can get full expertise on it.
Consumer Reports also noted the industry had to catch up to nascent self-driving technology: “Regulators urgently need to step up their oversight of cars with these active safety features”.
Another Tesla Model X swerved and struck railing next to a road in Montana, also in the United States, reportedly because the driver did not have his hands on the wheel.
The company said the feature sounds an alert if drivers keep their hands off the steering wheel.
Consumer Reports is also asking Tesla to stop referring to the system as “Autopilot”, saying that such a moniker is “misleading and risky”.
“Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear”, a spokeswoman said in an email.
Tesla introduced the system by saying it is in a beta test stage, leading Consumer Reports to raise even more concerns.
“While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decision on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by the media”, a spokesman for the company said.
Tesla said end June that it had learned that NHTSA had opened a preliminary evaluation into the performance of Autopilot in the impact of a Model S vehicle with a tractor trailer. Tesla is not impressed by the suggestion and reiterates that it won’t disable the feature. Scaglione said he had autopilot on, but Tesla charged that the vehicle onboard vehicles logs showed that it was off.
On Thursday, Mr. Musk released a public statement that as per investigators’ findings, the vehicle was not on autopilot mode in Pennsylvania crash, in fact this crash could have stopped the crash that occurred. NHTSA said the Tesla driver died due to injuries sustained in the crash, which took place on May 7 in Williston, Fla. The National Transportation Safety Board has also opened a probe into the crash, USA Today reported.
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Consumer Reports said Tesla’s autopilot should be disabled after a series of crashes, one of which killed a man in Florida two months ago, sparking a failure-to-disclose securities investigation and raising congressional worries. “We will continue to develop, validate, and release those enhancements as the technology grows”.
