Tesla recalls over two million vehicles after a US regulator discovered that its driver assistance technology, Autopilot, was partially flawed.
It comes after a two-year examination into crashes while the technology was used.
The recall affects nearly every Tesla sold in the United States since the Autopilot feature was introduced in 2015.
Elon Musk’s Tesla said it would send a software update “over the air” to solve the problem.
The update occurs automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but the US regulator still refers to it as a recall.
The BBC has contacted the UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to inquire about the impact on Tesla drivers in the UK.
Although Autopilot is designed to assist with steering, acceleration, and braking, the automobile still requires human input.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Recalls Two Million Cars In US Over Autopilot Defect
Tesla’s software is designed to ensure drivers pay attention and that the feature is only used in appropriate circumstances, like highway driving.
However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States found that “the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse” after a two-year review of 956 Tesla crashes.
“Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety, but only when responsibly deployed,” the NHTSA noted, adding that it would continue to monitor the software after it was upgraded.
A request for comment from Tesla still needs to be returned.
According to the recall notice, the business did not agree with the agency’s conclusion but promised to install new features to address the issues, including additional checks before turning on the self-driving functions.
The recall comes just a week after a former Tesla employee told the BBC that the technology was dangerous.
After receiving the Blueprint Prize for whistleblowers, Lukasz Krupski told the BBC, “I don’t think the hardware and software are ready.”
“It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads”, he said.
Mr Krupski told the BBC that the recall was “a step in the right direction,” but that the problem was not limited to the United States.
“The hardware is the same in all the Teslas in the US, China etc.”, he went on to say
Metrics of security
In reaction to a Washington Post report, Tesla defended the safety of Autopilot in a post on X (previously Twitter) on Tuesday.
“Safety metrics are emphatically stronger when Autopilot is engaged than when not engaged,” the company noted, citing figures indicating fewer crashes when the technology was activated.
Jack Stilgoe, an associate professor of robotics at University College London, believes Tesla should have spent more time building the system in the first place.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Recalls Two Million Cars In US Over Autopilot Defect
“The conventional way of ensuring safety is to check that a car is safe when it leaves the factory”, he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Even though this is Tesla’s second recall this year, Susannah Streeter of investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown believes it will not have a significant impact on the company’s momentum:
“On its own, a recall of 2 million cars is unlikely to dampen enthusiasm.” The stock price has fallen marginally, but it does not appear to be in danger of falling further.
“After all, recalls in the car industry are far from unusual and the group also has the financial ability to invest in fixes”, she said.
Tesla has actively pushed the technology in its vehicles and claims that staying on the bleeding edge of self-driving technology is critical to its future success.
Goldman Sachs analysts projected this month that Tesla’s most advanced Autopilot service, complete self-driving, could generate more than $50 billion in revenue per year by 2030, up from $1 billion to $3 billion.
The self-driving package costs $12,000 in the United States, plus a $199 monthly subscription fee.
“Autonomy is really where it’s at,” Mr Musk said this summer to investors.
Additional warnings
The recall is focused on Autosteer, a feature of Autopilot.
In conjunction with “traffic-aware cruise control,” which adapts the automobile’s speed to that of the surrounding traffic, autosteer assists in keeping a car in the correct lane.
The driver is supposed to keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take over from the assistive system if necessary.
When Autosteer is activated, the car’s systems assess whether the driver is paying attention. There are warning warnings if it senses the driver is not present. There are also warnings if the driver tries to utilize Autosteer in an improper situation.
The NHTSA recall report states that the “over-the-air update” will contain extra notifications and monitoring “to encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged.”
SOURCE – BBC
