What We’re Reading
Tesla's Promise of a Fully Self-Driving Car Merely an 'Aspirational Goal,' Lawyers Say (Jalopnik, December 13, 2022)
In each of three putative class actions filed against Tesla in California earlier this year—now consolidated as In re Tesla Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Litigation—plaintiffs allege that Tesla defrauded consumers by failing to deliver on the self-driving promises its CEO, Elon Musk, has made “multiple times a year for almost a decade,” all while charging increasingly exorbitant amounts for access to the technology.
In a motion filed just after Thanksgiving, Tesla now seeks to compel several of the named plaintiffs’ claims to arbitration based on language in their purchase agreements, and to dismiss the claims of another named plaintiff (LoSavio) for various legal reasons. Notable among these reasons is Tesla’s argument that the plaintiff cannot prove fraud, as “mere failure to realize a long-term, aspirational goal is not fraud. … Just failing to meet Musk’s own expectations isn’t evidence that anyone purposely tried to deceive consumers, which would constitute fraud.” Telsa also argues that its “buyers should have been well aware of the limitations of these systems before purchasing them” as a result of the disclaimer language on Tesla’s website and in owners’ manuals.
Read more coverage from Electrek here, the Los Angeles Times here (paywall), and The Drive here.
Tesla says it is adding radar in its cars next month amid self-driving suite concerns (Electrek, December 6, 2022)
As scrutiny over the safety and efficacy of Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD continues to mount, it appears Tesla may be preparing to reintroduce radar technology to its vehicles in mid-January, according to documents submitted to the Federal Communications Commission. This would constitute a stark reversal of Tesla’s decision earlier this year to remove radar sensors in its vehicles in favor of cameras, or “Tesla Vision.” At that time, Tesla touted the superiority of camera-based systems that could act like human eyes and make decisions in real time with AI neural networks.
Tesla first committed to removing radar from its vehicles last May. Shortly thereafter, Tesla removed its 12 ultrasonic sensors from Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Although we still don’t know which models will be equipped with the new radar system, it stands to reason that the widely reported redesigned Tesla Model 3 may come equipped with this all-new radar and purported self-driving capabilities.
Self-Driving Taxis Are Causing All Kinds of Trouble in San Francisco (Slate, December 8, 2022)
While the issues AV companies like Cruise and Waymo have encountered in deploying driverless robotaxis in San Francisco have been widely reported—from blocking the path of first responders to swarming residential streets—this article provides a deeper dive into the regulatory environment that arguably has allowed robotaxis to operate without sufficient testing, reporting, or oversight. Now, urban activists and municipal lawmakers are raising concerns at levels as high up as NHTSA, advocating for greater control at the local level so that “local leaders [can] monitor and manage AVs using their streets” and minimize impacts on city infrastructure and residents.