Elon Musk halts launch of Tesla’s self-driving tech ahead of Investor Day
Tesla confirmed it has suspended deployment of its controversial Full Self-Driving technology, which it sells for $15,000, pending the outcome of a recall.
Elon Musk was asked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in mid-February to fix FSD software issues in 362,758 vehicles sold in the United States that violate local traffic laws and could increase risk.
“Until the software version containing the fix is available, we have paused the roll out of FSD Beta for everyone who has signed up but has not yet received a software version with FSD Beta,” the undated statement said.
Tesla agreed with NHTSA on a voluntary recall, a confusing misnomer that suggests non-mandatory physical return of vehicles to a mechanic. In reality, it simply means a regulatory process conducted by the company — but overseen by federal agency — to enforce compliance that involves the remote issuance of an over-the-air software patch.
Normally, a voluntary recall would make it illegal to sell a car with FSD installed until the safety issue is resolved to NHTSA’s satisfaction, but the company has no public relations department and had not commented at the time of the NHTSA’s announcement.
I am really disappointed. Can anyone really read this and feel like we’re where we thought we were? I’m all in #FSDBeta and supportive of the path we are on, but that phrase sounds so “legal” that I’m not sure what to expect in the future. https://t.co/zKtggsUAqb… https://t.co/5oKPQxdrLW
— Chuck Cook (@chazman) February 27, 2023
Investor Day issues for Musk
The news comes as Tesla is hosting its Investor Day on Wednesday, which is expected to provide updates on a range of topics ranging from increasing size and a new affordable entry-level model to its fourth-generation FSD computer called Hardware 4 ( HW4) are enough. .
A key topic expected to be discussed on Wednesday is whether HW4 can actually be retrofitted to the existing Tesla fleet.
At least 400,000 drivers in the US and Canada have paid for FSD, a feature tied to the car and forfeited when ownership is sold.
If Tesla can’t economically upgrade the cars with the latest hardware to fulfill its robotaxi promise, it could face new fraud lawsuits.
At the same time, Musk announced that a new v11 of FSD Beta would be deployed soon, which would unify highway, city, and parking lot driving in a so-called single software stack.
This innovation, which is expected to act as a catalyst for faster iterative improvements by removing complexity, has since been promised to customers July 2021.
However, thanks to repeated missed deadlines, earlier this month Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak accused Elon Musk of cheating on his customers.
“I’m really disappointed,” wrote Chuck Cook, a prominent Tesla FSD beta tester who is currently traveling to Austin, Texas for Investor Day. “Can anyone really read this and feel like we’re where we thought we were?”
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