The US investigates Tesla’s autonomous cars after 4 crashes and pedestrian death

The United States highway safety agency is again investigating Tesla’s “full autonomous driving” system, this time after receiving reports of accidents in low visibility conditions, including one in which a pedestrian died.

The automotive safety regulator in the United States announced on Friday the opening of an investigation into Tesla’s full self-driving software (FSD) after four collisions were reported, one of them fatal, in which its driver assistance technology was involved. driver in low visibility conditions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the preliminary investigation will cover 2.4 million Tesla TSLA.O vehicles, representing a large portion of the electric car maker’s vehicles. on the roads of the United States.

The latest investigation could pose a hurdle in Chief Executive Elon Musk’s efforts to shift Tesla’s focus toward self-driving and robotaxis technology as it faces growing competition and weakening demand in its auto business. .

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Its shares were down 0.5% before the start of trading on Friday.

Fatal accidents

Tesla’s FSD technology has been in development for years and aims to achieve a high degree of automation that allows the vehicle to perform most driving tasks without human intervention.

However, it has faced legal scrutiny with at least two fatal accidents involving this technology.

Researchers will study the ability of the “fully autonomous driving” system to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced visibility conditions on the road and, if so, the circumstances that contribute to these accidents.”

Last week, Musk unveiled Tesla’s two-seat, two-door “Cybercab” robotaxi concept, with no steering wheel or pedals, that would use cameras and artificial intelligence to help navigate roads.

[Con información de Reuters y AP]

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