What We’re Reading
If ‘self-driving’ Teslas are defective, why are regulators letting them stay on the road? (Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2023)
The widely reported recall of Tesla’s FSD Beta, affecting around 400,000 vehicles, has not forced any of them off of roads, even though the recall is based on evidence of defects in the system. “According to NHTSA, the defects that plague FSD can cause a car to suddenly speed up and race through yellow lights, violate speed limits and continue driving straight ahead from turn-only traffic lanes.” What’s more, NHTSA has imposed no deadline on Tesla to fix these defects, and Tesla has not committed to any, saying only that it will respond as is typical through an over-the-air software update in the “coming weeks.”
Why are defective conditions allowed to persist indefinitely? Why didn’t NHTSA impose a deadline? According to this article, quoting AV expert Philip Koopman, “it’s possible NHTSA feared being sued by Musk, which would require a huge commitment of resources and would drag out the situation.”
In addition to its PR, safety, and legal implications, this latest recall presents potentially serious financial implications for Tesla. At the end of last year, Tesla “reclassified FSD cash from deferred revenue to real revenue and profit,” allowing it to exceed earnings projections. The recall could force Tesla to restate its earnings, or even issue refunds if it is unable to fix the issue in a reasonable time.
NHTSA requests info after Tesla crashes into fire truck (Tech Crunch, February 20, 2023)
As many readers likely read or heard, a Tesla vehicle crashed into a fire truck in California over the weekend. The local fire department on scene tweeted: “Driver pronounced dead on-scene; passenger was extricated & transported to hospital. Four firefighters also transported for evaluation.” The tweet also contained photos of the accident scene that depicted a severely damaged Tesla.
On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requested that Tesla provide more information regarding the fatal crash. Although the NHTSA did not reveal the specific nature of the information it was seeking, it appears highly likely that its investigation is trying to ascertain whether Autopilot or FSD Beta was engaged at the time of the crash.
This latest crash comes at a time when Tesla is under heightened scrutiny due to its partial FSD recall that was announced shortly after a highly publicized Super Bowl ad funded by one of Tesla’s most vocal critics, The Dawn Project, which implored regulators to ban the use of FSD due to critical safety flaws. In addition, NHTSA’s investigation into at least sixteen collisions involving Tesla’s Autopilot technology and emergency response vehicles remains pending.
As we have noted, federal and state regulators are turning up the heat on Tesla regarding the safety of its ADAS, while the Department of Justice recently requested information from Tesla as part of an investigation that may be a prelude to the filing of criminal charges against the OEM.
Why are so many autonomous vehicles also EVs? (The Buzz EV News, February 20, 2023)
Autonomy and electrification in the automotive space are closely linked. “Pay attention to the autonomous vehicles being developed in the marketplace and you’ll notice that more often than not they are spec’d with a battery-electric powertrain.” But why?
According to this author, there is good reason to marry up these two technologies:
AVs rely on sensors and computer hardware to interpret data in real time, requiring “a ton of electric power.” An EV battery pack can provide this power much more steadily, and with more stability, than an ICE vehicle.
An EV has less latency when accelerating, making it naturally equipped for faster decision-making, which is essential for autonomy.
Automating EVs increases their sustainability profile; “having a computer calculate exactly the right times to stop and start ... maximize[s] productivity and energy conservation.”
EVs present fewer issues that can lead to system instability.