Praised by Elon Musk as “sustainable energy and accelerating autonomy,” Tesla produces a range of zero-emission electric vehicles that usher in a gasoline-free future. However, the company is not without its problems. Recent issues include accusations by his DMV that Tesla may be forced to rename one of its most popular features.
The way Tesla is selling its fully self-driving upgrade could mislead consumers
Introduced by Senator Lena Gonzalez in February and passed by the California legislature in September 2022, SB-1398 has the potential to change the way automakers sell “self-driving” cars. Specifically, new California law requires manufacturers of self-driving vehicles to inform consumers of the actual capabilities and limitations of assistive features such as partial driving automation. Tesla now markets this feature as an upgrade to its Autopilot computer called Full Self-Driving (FSD).
According to Business Insider, the new consumer protection and public safety law doesn’t specifically target Tesla. However, Gonzalez revealed that other semi-autonomous car makers such as BMW, Ford and General Motors have historically been more transparent about the actual limits of their products. The problem is that some people believe Tesla’s self-driving cars don’t require rider attention, but that’s not the case at all.
I still can’t believe that self-driving cars can be fully self-driving
Driver assistance features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking systems, electronic blind spot assistance, lane departure warning, and collision avoidance systems go a long way toward making driving safer and more manageable. But no one can steer a vehicle without human guidance. So far, no car can be trusted to take on all driving tasks.
The California DMV defines autonomous mode as an operational state in which the technology combines remote or onboard hardware and software to perform dynamic driving tasks with or without natural human supervision. Dynamic driving tasks under this definition include, but are not limited to, object and event detection, turn signals and lane changes, maneuver planning, acceleration and deceleration, and steering.
SB-1398 is currently awaiting signature from California Governor Gavin Newsom. In that case, the DMV will add new legislation to its vehicle marketing and sales regulations.
California’s DMV told the Los Angeles Times that Tesla and other automakers could better educate Tesla and other automakers by warning them about the honest limitations of their supposed self-driving cars. There is a need.
Tesla is wobbly, but not tanking
A California law that could force automakers to come up with a new name for the FSD feature is based on hundreds of autopilot crashes reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In June 2022, The New York Times reported that NHTSA’s scrutiny of nearly 830,000 Tesla vehicles found that, despite being called “fully self-driving,” self-driving cars are not safe without human intervention. declared that it had become clear. To be fair, Tesla says his Autopilot and his FSD features are intended for use by “totally observant” drivers who are ready to take over the driving task at any moment.
Tesla also says the current FSD capabilities won’t make the vehicle fully autonomous, although it’s designed to be more capable over time. However, those who don’t take the time to read the fine print may miss this important fact.
If SB-1398 is enacted, the limits of “self-driving” vehicles for sale will become clear to consumers. One way might be to get Tesla to stop calling itself a fully self-driving car.
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