There’s a little thing all businesses adhere to called “good faith.” Showing good faith by being honest about your products and what they can and cannot do is especially essential when doing otherwise could get someone killed. This week, an engineer who shared a 2016 video that supposedly filmed a Model X driving completely autonomously admitted it. under oath. Is there now criminal liability for this?
How fake is the fake Tesla self-driving video?
The Tesla movie was, in fact, a complete fake. According to Ashok Elluswamy, the company’s autopilot director, the 3D route is set with information downloaded to the vehicle. Those engineers inside the Model X had to take control at every turn, and parking maneuvers actually sent the car crashing into a nearby fence.
while the autopilot was on.
An 84-page filing in September 2022, about “deceptive and misleading marketing tactics and outright fraudulent actions” associated with Tesla’s Autopilot. The company is also accused of claims from 2016 that fully autonomous driving was “just around the corner”. He adds that the reason for the claims was to attract investors.
Musk claimed that self-driving rides across the country would be available by 2018. Then in 2019, another claimed that 1 million automated taxis will be in use by next year. Now, he says, a million automated taxis are still to come, but probably won’t be until 2025.
Does Tesla still say Autopilot is self-driving?
And as the lawsuits start piling up, there are more investigations by government agencies. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Department of Motor Vehicles are investigating traffic fatalities attributed to Autopilot. NHTSA alone is investigating 40 Autopilot accidents.
Tesla says it’s showing buyers that the FSD isn’t capable of self-driving. But Musk’s claims dispute that, and he’s not only the CEO but the marketing arm of the company. Tesla has no marketing or media relations departments. it is.
So when Tesla warns in one ear but makes false claims in the other. As the trial is on Tesla and Musk’s guilt, more testimony will definitely help the jury and the public come to a better conclusion. and we shall see whether the court of public opinion is identical with the court of a sworn jury.
