Tesla has regularly hyped up the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies in its EVs, but some people seem to think that its marketing department is exaggerating in terms of what they can really do.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has accused Tesla of falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies, per a pair of complaints that were filed with the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings on July 28 by the DMV’s chief of industry services, Ailene Short.
A focus of the complaint appears to be the following language that currently appears on Tesla’s Autopilot website, which DMV thinks is misleading customers:
- All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go. If you don’t say anything, your car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination. Your Tesla will figure out the optimal route, navigating urban streets, complex intersections and freeways.
- When you arrive at your destination, simply step out at the entrance and your car will enter park seek mode, automatically search for a spot and park itself. A tap on your phone summons it back to you.
- The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat.
The Los Angeles Times says that if the DMV were to prevail with its complaints, the remedies “could be severe, including revocation of the company’s licenses to make or sell its cars in California,” although that seems unlikely based on an email that a DMV spokesperson sent out on Friday.
“The DMV will ask that Tesla will be required to advertise to consumers and better educate Tesla drivers about the capabilities of its ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Full Self-Driving’ features, including cautionary warnings regarding the limitations of the features, and for other actions as appropriate given the violations,” a portion of the email reads.
Source: LA Times