It’s not the first time that the automotive company has experienced this. Since it began gaining popularity in the market with its high-end electric vehicles and other services, Elon Musk’s company has been under the scrutiny of investors, potential customers, and of course, authorities. Having sent a car into space and holding strong interests in dominating the eco-friendly vehicle market, Tesla has maintained and increased its efforts in R&D to always stay one step ahead of its competition. This has led to significant successes at times, while on other occasions, it must be admitted, there have been significant missteps.
Tesla’s new autopilot requires “too little attention”
Recently, it has been discovered that a new version of Tesla’s autopilot (known as Autopilot) requires no torque effort on the steering wheel, which could lead to excessive driver relaxation and subsequent risks to road safety. This relaxation of a measure designed to keep drivers attentive to the road or any potential situations could pose a significant danger.
The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is concerned because this feature might be present in some vehicles that have already been sold, and this discovery could encourage users to attempt to unlock the feature. In fact, on July 26th, Tesla was already summoned to answer a series of questions regarding this matter. However, as of August 25th, it is still unknown whether the administration has received responses.
Tesla has been under investigation for some time, not only for the Autopilot. Seatbelts and steering wheels of these vehicles are also under scrutiny due to issues related to their functionality, as well as problems that some users have reported regarding potential phantom braking. The safety risks for drivers and other road users seem to be increasing as the company becomes more popular.
