A California regulator has accused Tesla Inc of misleading consumers about its driver assistance systems, and has filed complaints that could potentially prevent the automaker from selling its cars in the state, US media reported on Friday.
In its filing, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said Tesla advertised its Autopilot and Self-Driving technologies as more capable than they actually are, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The company “made or disseminated statements that are untrue or misleading, and not based on facts,” the DMV reportedly said in its complaints, filed with the quasi-judicial tribunal Office of Administrative Hearings on July 28.
Photo: Reuters
Tesla cars could never “and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles,” the DMV said, according to the Times.
Tesla’s Web site describes its Autopilot as having “full self-driving capability.”
“All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go,” it says. “If you don’t say anything, your car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination.”
A ruling in favor of the California regulator could have severe consequences for the electric automaker, including the possible revocation of licenses authorizing Tesla to manufacture or sell its cars in the state, the Times said.
However, a DMV spokesperson told the newspaper that actual remedies the agency would seek include having Tesla better educate drivers about its autonomous vehicles and feature a warning on the limitations of its technology.
Tesla vehicles equipped with autonomous driving software have been involved in 273 accidents in the US, according to a report released in June by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating the automaker.
In June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that without fully autonomous driving, the value of his company would be “close to zero.”
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