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California Auto Regulator Calls Tesla Autopilot Misleading

Tesla must answer to California DMV. The organization believes Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving mode ads are misleading because it’s not about fully autonomous driving.

 

The DMV or Department of Motor Vehicles says the brand names used are inconsistent with what an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) can do in practice. Specifically, they mean that a Tesla cannot drive like an autonomous vehicle.

Tesla is often under fire about that name. In practice, Tesla’s Autopilot can accelerate and slow down and follow the track, but that’s about the same as level 2 autonomy. In a test version, the car can also drive through a city, but that is not yet a fully self-driving car.

The DMV made its statements at a hearing on July 28. It is now up to Tesla to formally respond within two weeks. If it doesn’t, the DMV can decide the case itself, and Tesla risks losing its license as a car manufacturer and seller.

In practice, it probably won’t go that fast. In the first place, the DMV demands that Tesla communicate more clearly in its advertisements and towards drivers, for example, by changing the name of the functions. And that drivers are better informed about the limitations of the system.

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