Bad publicity stunt for Elon Musk and his Tesla cars. According to the Californian newspaper “Los Angeles Times”, the DMV (the department responsible for motor vehicles in California) accuses Tesla of lying to consumers about its autonomous driving technologies.
At the end of July, she therefore filed several complaints with a state administrative court. Tesla made or disseminated statements that were false or misleading, and not based on fact, the DMV said in those complaints filed July 28, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Misleading advertising
In fact, “Tesla cars have never been able, and cannot today, operate as autonomous vehicles”, according to the document cited by the Californian newspaper. And the DMV more broadly blames Tesla for advertising language that gives these systems broader performance than they actually have.
Asked by the Los Angeles Times, a DMV spokesperson said by email that if its action is successful, the department “the DMV will ask Tesla to better inform and educate Tesla drivers about the real capabilities of its Autopilot features and Full Self-Driving”, including advising them of the limitations of these features and for other appropriate actions in light of the violations. »
A victory of the Californian authority against the manufacturer of electric vehicles could have severe consequences, going as far as the revocation of the licenses authorizing Tesla to manufacture or sell its cars in California, further indicates the Los Angeles Times, which specifies that the measures envisaged concern rather the precision of the information that the manufacturer will have to provide to its customers.
More than 270 Tesla accidents in one year
Tesla vehicles equipped with self-driving software have been involved in 273 crashes in the United States, according to a June report from the US Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA), which is investigating the driver assistance system. from the American manufacturer.
His report focuses on vehicles with so-called level 2 software, meaning that can make the car accelerate or decelerate and turn the steering wheel if necessary, but requires an attentive driver who is ready to take control back at any time. In total, Tesla models were the subject of nearly 70% of the reports of the 392 accidents listed in this category, for almost all between July 2021 and mid-May 2022, according to the NHTSA.
In June, Elon Musk highlighted the importance of fully autonomous driving for the company, adding that without it, the value of his company would be close to zero. Tesla shares were down sharply at the close of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, falling 6.63% to $864.51.
