Tesla reluctantly gave a full beta demonstration of autonomous driving to California’s DMV and some FSD critics that the automaker didn’t need to showcase.
Lately, Tesla has come under pressure from California’s DMV for its claims of Autopilot and autonomous driving, which the firm says may be misleading.
Earlier this summer, Tesla and the DMV were going back and forth on the launch and marketing of the full autonomous driving beta (FSD) around the full autonomous driving beta package. knowledge about your FSD program.
Over the years, Tesla has been criticized for the way it advertises its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). One of the main considerations has been the actual names of the systems: Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability. Some other people think the names suggest the systems are autonomous, even though they are just motive power assistance systems.
Tesla also used this description to have to report insights like opt-out like other self-driving systems in California under the jurisdiction of the DMV.
We’re now informed that this back-and-forth between the California DMV and Tesla led the automaker to give the DMV a full beta demonstration of autonomous driving last week. Bloomberg reports:
The demonstration of the formula announced through Tesla as total autonomous driving took place last week at the headquarters of the Sacramento Department of Motor Vehicles, according to emails notified via Bloomberg through a request for public documents. of the Highway Patrol, an undersecretary of the National Transportation Agency and three external advisors of the DMV.
Prior to the event, Tesla had the DMV exclude some of the agency’s advisers who were scheduled to attend the event.
Jennifer Cohen, Tesla’s head of policy and progression in California, wrote in an email to Miguel Acosta, head of autonomous vehicles at the DMV:
I wonder if it is appropriate to come with your experts who have made negative public statements about Tesla. We have yet to obtain any assurance that your bias will not influence Tesla’s DMV remedy.
Acosta responded
We appreciate Tesla’s continued assistance in providing data on the most recent releases and expansion of the full autonomous driving beta program and features. Our experts assist us in our ongoing review of the generation that will be on California’s public roads.
Tesla had specific problems with Steven Shladover, a transportation studies engineer at the University of California, Berkeley, who in the past called Tesla’s use of the term self-driving “very harmful,” and with Bryant Walker Smith, a research associate at Stanford. Center for Internet and Society, which has advocated, along with many others, for independent reporting and testing standards to be applied to Tesla’s FSD beta.
I’m pleased to see Tesla engage with regulators on FSD. We want it if the program is going to evolve into a true autonomous driving formula as Tesla has promised since 2016.
However, it’s disappointing that Tesla doesn’t need to file any complaints. This shows weakness and lack of confidence, in my opinion.
Elon Musk keeps saying that he “just has to check FSD Beta for himself” to see how smart he is, even if many haven’t been inspired by the functionality compared to Tesla’s promises. Why not try those reviews?
I think this is another example of breaking Musk’s comment cycle, and now Tesla’s. The automaker fears some complaint when the demonstration stands on its own.
And let’s be honest: there’s room for complaints when it comes to Tesla’s self-driving technique. We will have to bear in mind that the main objective of the maximum of the interested parties is to guarantee the protection of the roads. When the purpose is protection, there will be room for other people to criticize to see if their technique is correct.
Fred is editor-in-chief and senior editor of Electrek.
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