Financial Times title: US opens formal probe into Tesla’s Autopilot technology
FT subtitle: Transport department to examine 11 crashes involving electric carmaker’s driving assistance system
By: Lauren Fedor in Washington and Richard Waters in San Francisco
Date: 16 August 2021
“The US government has launched an investigation into crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot driverless technology, after being repeatedly urged to by an independent regulator that accused the electric carmaker of releasing unproven software on to public roads.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the US Department of Transportation, announced on Monday that it had opened a probe into 11 crashes of Tesla cars where first responder vehicles were present.
The collisions, which led to 17 injuries and one death, all involved vehicles that had either the Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control modes switched on, and occurred at scenes with visible driver warning markers such as cones and arrows, the agency said.
The probe signalled an intensification of the scrutiny of Tesla’s Autopilot software, which had previously been led by the independent National Transportation Safety Board. Unlike that group, the NHTSA has the power to force vehicle recalls if it finds fault, and impose regulations on the entire sector.
The probe, dated August 13 and unveiled on Monday, covers virtually all Tesla vehicles sold in the US in recent years, about 765,000 cars, according to the NHTSA. The regulator said various Tesla models had “encountered first responder scenes and subsequently struck one or more vehicles involved with those scenes”.
The carmaker’s shares fell more than 4 per cent following news of the investigation.
China’s vehicle safety regulator said in June that Tesla was undergoing a voluntary recall of almost 300,000 cars over an issue with its Autopilot software, though Tesla was later able to fix the problem.
The investigation followed fierce criticism of the federal regulators by the NTSB over what it claimed had been a “hands-off approach to oversight [that] poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users”.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, has also come under fire for claiming that the software, an advanced driver-assistance system designed to handle road tasks such as maintaining speed or staying within a lane, was capable of taking full control of a vehicle.
This year, NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt said Tesla had released a “beta version” of its software for testing on public roads with limited oversight.
Musk has been criticised for his aggressive marketing of Tesla’s software and the decision to name it Autopilot, even though it is only a so-called level two driver assistance system, far short of the full level five, in which a car can drive itself.
“NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves,” the agency said on Monday. “Every available vehicle requires a human driver to be in control at all times, and all state laws hold human drivers responsible for operation of their vehicles.”
The federal probe will look into both Tesla’s artificial intelligence technology and the systems the company uses to monitor drivers to make sure they are paying attention and can take full control of a vehicle when needed. Tesla introduced extra warnings for drivers after the first known fatality that occurred while its Autopilot system was in use, in 2016.
“In keeping with the agency’s core safety mission and to better understand the causes of certain Tesla crashes, NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla Autopilot systems and the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist and enforce the driver’s engagement with driving while Autopilot is in use,” the NHTSA said.
“Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly.”
Missy Cummings, professor of engineering at Duke University, said the NHTSA probe highlighted a fundamental problem with Tesla’s technology. “The car’s vision system can’t handle anything out of the ordinary — and that by definition is every emergency situation.”
Consumer groups that have been critical of Tesla’s use of AI and called for tighter regulation welcomed the investigation. However, Cummings said that systems such as Tesla’s made judgments based on probabilities, posing a fundamental problem for regulators looking for assurances that the technology was safe.
The investigation covers most Tesla vehicles produced since 2014, including its Models Y, X, S and 3.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
Sources:
Financial Times: US opens formal probe into Tesla’s Autopilot technology
and
Nikkei: Tesla faces US safety investigation over Autopilot crashes
and
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Senators Urge FTC to Probe Tesla’s Autopilot Claims
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