The U.S. government's Highway Safety Agency has launched an investigation into 2.4 million vehicles equipped with the automaker's fully autonomous driving software after four crashes, including one fatal crash.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Friday it was launching a preliminary assessment after four reports of crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles in conditions of reduced road visibility, such as sunlight, fog or dust on the road. air.
In an accident “The Tesla vehicle hit a pedestrian. An additional crash under these conditions resulted in an injury,” NHTSA said.
The optional system covers 2016-2024 Model S and
A preliminary assessment is the first step before the agency will require vehicles to be recalled if it believes they pose an unreasonable safety risk.
Tesla says on its website that “fully autonomous driving” software in on-road vehicles requires active driver supervision and does not make the vehicles autonomous.
NHTSA reviews the ability of FSD engineering controls to “appropriately detect and respond to reduced visibility road conditions.”
The agency is asking whether other similar FSD accidents have occurred in low-road visibility conditions and whether Tesla has updated or modified the FSD system in low-road visibility conditions.
NHTSA “will evaluate the timing, scope and capabilities of such updates, as well as Tesla's assessment of their impact on safety,” the agency said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is trying to shift Tesla's focus toward self-driving technology and robotaxis amid competition and weak demand in its automotive business.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Its shares fell 0.5% before hours.
Last week, Musk unveiled Tesla's two-seat, two-door “CyberCab” robotaxis concept with a steering wheel and no pedals, which uses cameras and artificial intelligence to help navigate roads. Tesla would need NHTSA approval to use a vehicle without human controls.
Tesla's FST technology has been in development for years and aims for greater automation, where your vehicle can perform most driving tasks without human intervention.
It has been under legal scrutiny for at least two fatal accidents involving this technology, including one in April when a Tesla Model S car was in fully autonomous driving mode, crashing into and killing a 28-year-old motorcyclist. Seattle area.
Some industry experts have said that Tesla's “camera only” approach to partially and fully autonomous driving systems could cause problems in low visibility conditions because the vehicles lack backup sensors.
“Weather conditions can affect a camera's ability to see things, and I think the regulatory environment certainly influences this,” said Jeff Schuster, vice president of GlobalData.
“That could be one of the main obstacles to what I call the early launch of this technology and these products.”
Tesla's rivals that operate robotaxis rely on expensive sensors like lidar and radar to detect the driving environment.
The company recalled more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. in December to install new safety measures in its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. NHTSA is still investigating whether the recall is appropriate.
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