The U.S. government’s highway safety agency is investigating Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system after receiving reports of crashes in low visibility conditions, including one that caused a death.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it opened the investigation on Thursday after the company reported four crashes when Teslas faced sun glare, fog and airborne dust.
In addition to the death of a pedestrian, another accident involved injuries, according to the US agency cited by the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Investigators will look at the “fully autonomous driving” system’s ability to “detect and appropriately respond to reduced road visibility conditions and, if so, the circumstances that contribute to these accidents.”
The research covers about 2.4 million Teslas from model years 2016 to 2024.
Tesla has reaffirmed that the system cannot drive alone and that human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.
Last week, Tesla held an event at a Hollywood studio to unveil a fully autonomous ‘robotaxi’ with no steering wheel or pedals. Musk, who has previously promised autonomous vehicles, said the company plans to have self-driving Models Y and 3 running without human drivers next year.
Steering wheel-less ‘robotaxis’ will be available in 2026, starting in California and Texas, the Tesla founder added.
The impact of the research on Tesla’s autonomous driving ambitions is unclear.
The NHTSA would have to approve any ‘robotaxis’ without pedals or a steering wheel, and that’s unlikely to happen while the investigation is ongoing.
But if the company tries to implement autonomous vehicles in its existing models, the move would likely fall under state regulations.
There are no federal regulations specifically focused on autonomous vehicles, although they must comply with broader safety rules.
NHTSA also said it would check whether other similar accidents involving “Full Self-Driving” occurred in low visibility conditions and would seek information from the company on whether any updates affected the system’s performance in these conditions.
The agency began its investigation into Autopilot crashes in 2021 after receiving 11 reports that Teslas using Autopilot struck parked emergency vehicles.
In documents explaining why the investigation was closed, NHTSA said it detected 467 crashes involving Autopilot, resulting in 54 injuries and 14 deaths. Autopilot is a sophisticated version of ‘cruise control’, while “Full Self-Driving” was considered by Musk to be capable of driving without human intervention.
The investigation opened Thursday enters new territory for the NHTSA, which previously viewed Tesla’s systems as aiding drivers rather than driving themselves.
With the new investigation, the agency is focusing on “fully autonomous driving” capabilities rather than simply ensuring drivers are paying attention.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
