{"id":78664,"date":"2023-05-12T14:28:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T11:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=78664"},"modified":"2025-09-11T06:35:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T03:35:26","slug":"u-s-transportation-secretary-criticizes-tesla-autopilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/u-s-transportation-secretary-criticizes-tesla-autopilot\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Transportation Secretary Criticizes Tesla Autopilot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tesla should not call its driver-assistance system Autopilot an autopilot, because the company\u2019s cars cannot drive themselves. This was stated by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, reported by Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The official voiced concerns about the company\u2019s marketing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t think something should be called, for example, an autopilot, when the small print says you must keep your hands on the wheel and look at the road,\u201d Buttigieg said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He warned that the department would hold Tesla or any other company to account for non-compliance with federal safety standards.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe must remain objective here. But every time a company does something wrong, or a vehicle needs to be recalled \u2014 we will do so,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Buttigieg acknowledged the \u201chuge potential\u201d of robo-cars. He said they could reduce the number of deaths on U.S. roads, which run at around 40,000 per year.<\/p>\n

However, the minister believes that existing technologies are not capable of achieving this goal.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt isn\u2019t automatically possible to realise this potential. This is what we are trying to shape here at the Department of Transportation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tesla has repeatedly faced criticism for the names of its driver-assistance systems Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD). Experts say that, despite the terms \u201cAutopilot\u201d and \u201cFull Self-Driving,\u201d these features do not live up to expectations.<\/p>\n

In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice launched<\/a> a criminal investigation into advertising promises around Autopilot and FSD. Similar charges against the company were voiced by the California Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n

In September, owners of robo-cars filed a class-action lawsuit against Tesla over allegedly false advertising of driver-assistance systems.<\/p>\n