Tesla is about to learn California’s laws are real
For years, Tesla has marketed its so-called “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” software like a sci-fi dream that somehow skipped beta testing and ducked federal regulation. But now, California’s DMV is doing the unthinkable: treating Tesla like any other company that isn’t allowed to lie about what their products do.
A suspension of Tesla’s sales license would be a major blow to the Austin, Texas-based company. California, the most populous state, is both the company’s biggest sales market in the US and home to one of Tesla’s largest factories, making even a temporary disruption potentially very costly. Tesla can avoid the DMV suspension if it files a statement that it has stopped using or describes steps it will take to cease using the Autopilot name to describe technology that does not meet certain industry standards.
“This was a ‘consumer protection’ order about the use of the term ‘Autopilot’ in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem. Sales in California will continue uninterrupted,” Tesla said in a statement that didn’t provide more details.
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Tesla sales in California make up a significant share of its nationwide business, and the company’s massive plant in Fremont is the only assembly line for its Model S and Model X vehicles.
In a surprisingly real and not-at-all-virtual move, the state told Tesla it has 90 days to stop calling its Level 2 driver-assistance tech “Autopilot” or face a 30-day sales suspension in the company’s biggest US market. That’s right: Tesla might be forced to stop selling cars in California because their software still needs adult supervision, despite what the branding suggests. Elon Musk may think rules are for other people, but in California, false advertising is still illegal.
Elon seems to think they will be able to buy their way out of this-and there have several deaths in CA alone caused by their software not being up to the job.
I wonder if it was a system of “remote driving”, where an operator would take over your vehicle from the comfort of their home-would that be safer or more dangerous?