Autonomous driving
Tesla must admit that Elon Musk is exaggerated when it comes to the technical capabilities of cars
Tesla is far from autonomous driving in all situations.
© Raphael Ben-Rice / Picture Alliance
The next big stage in automotive development is autonomous driving. Here, everywhere, Tesla wants to cheat the boss.
Elon Musk is a master of staging. He accompanied the rise of his car brand with a burst of funny tweets. Influencer likes to transcend marks on his own, which can have embarrassing consequences. Information from the CEO is not easy to tell.
The memo was published
Transparency group PlainSite has just published a memo in which the head of autopilot software had to agree with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, exaggerating the capabilities of his boss driver assistance system. Everything is a legal minefield after a driverless Tesla vehicle crashed in Texas, killing two people.
Level 2 instead of 5
“Elon’s tweet does not match the technical reality. Tesla is currently on the second floor,” the California Department of Transportation said of a conference call for delegates from Tesla, including the head of autopilot software. “Level 2” is only a semi-automatic driving system that humans have permanently monitored. To put it a little worse, Level 2 includes only one lane and a braking assistant and the option of automatic lane change.
Tesla has been accused for years of linguistically representing the abilities of the “autopilot” better than it actually is.
Musk made the announcement not only in a tweet but also in a conference call. Investors at the conference assured him that he was “confident that the car will be able to drive itself with greater reliability than a man this year”. It will be similar to level 5.
Oral overeating
Last fall, Tesla introduced an update for a limited test group called “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) so that the driver assistance program could be used in the urban environment as well. However, drivers should always keep one hand on the wheel. These attempts always involve the risk that drivers will become careless when they feel that the system seems to be in control of all situations and that their control is excessive because they should never interfere.
The portal “The Verge” reports that the announcement that the system will gain full autonomy – which corresponds to the fifth level – does not include the statements of Tesla experts before the California Department of Motor Vehicles by the end of the year. Tesla could not promise here that the system would be upgraded to the fifth floor by the end of the calendar year.
Dispute over lidar
The subject of “Autopilot” is the crucial next step in automotive engineering. In terms of battery and range, Tesla was once able to clearly stand out from all its rivals. This lead is now built. Chinese manufacturers have now taken the pole position. It is important for Tesla to be able to stand out for himself in terms of autonomy. It is also more difficult as other competitors are willing to use more and more accurate sensors. Tesla knows Bose’s failures against lidar technology.
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