In the past week, it has been known that the California regulators, DMV say that Tesla is misleading people. Its autopilot feature name “Full Self Driving” is the main concern. Now, the regulator is known to say that the Tesla website shows ADAS features like, the driver having to set the destination and tell the car where to go. This potentially says that the car can go on itself. However, the vehicle is not that advanced to go with such automation.
According to DMV, the naming isn’t the only reason for the public to be confused. The website also gives similar vibes. It claims that “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,” This complaint is surrounded by the ADAS features on the website.
This is not the first time such claims are being made by a regulator. In the past German government also stated that Tesla is misleading the public with the name. This is why the automaker is now not allowed to put the name “full-self driving” in Germany.
Representation
The complaint filed by DMV states, “Instead of simply identifying product or brand names, these ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ labels and descriptions represent that vehicles equipped with the ADAS features will operate as an autonomous vehicle.” Further adds, “But vehicles equipped with those ADAS features could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles.”
According to the DMV’s complaint, repercussions against Tesla could be severe, up to and including the revocation of its license to sell vehicles in the state of California. It also asks the court to consider permitting buyers who suffered financial damage as a result of the company’s alleged false advertising to be made whole through restitution. But the DMV doesn’t seem to want anything that harsh, at least not right away.
“DMV seeks to require Tesla to provide more accurate terms and descriptions, and more and better consumer education of the product capabilities and limitations,” a DMV spokeswoman said in a statement to MarketWatch.
The Autopilot and Full Self-Driving branding has been defended by the company’s CEO, Elon Musk in the past. In a 2020 interview with Automotive News, Musk said, “It’s not like some newbie who just got the car and, based on the name, thought they’d instantly trust the car to drive itself. That’s the idiotic premise of being upset with the Autopilot name. Idiotic.”
