Tesla boss Elon Musk said in 2016 that his company’s cars would soon drive autonomously. A US buyer sued because he relied on it – and can now claim his first success.
Tesla has to face a lawsuit from a car buyer who accuses the electric pioneer of providing false information about the ability of its models to drive autonomously.
The plaintiff refers, among other things, to the company’s announcements from 2016 that new vehicles would have the necessary technical equipment. He also refers to claims made by company boss Elon Musk, who said at the time that by the end of 2017 a Tesla model would be able to drive from the west coast of the USA to the east coast without having to press a button .
So far only “Full Self-Driving”
Judge Rita Lin ruled that the plaintiff had plausibly and detailedly demonstrated that he relied on these claims when purchasing a Tesla Model S in January 2017. He also paid several thousand dollars extra for the future expansion of Tesla’s “Autopilot” system called “Full Self-Driving” – which, even today, does not make a Tesla an autonomous car.
Although “Full Self-Driving” can now be tested as an advanced “autopilot” version by drivers in the USA – however, it is still only an assistance system in which the person behind the wheel remains responsible and must be ready at all times. to take control. Tesla has now added “supervised” to the “FSD” name.
Tesla wanted to have the car buyer’s lawsuit dismissed completely, but the judge only deleted individual points of complaint. The plaintiff is also seeking class action status, which could greatly increase the pressure on Tesla. This will be decided later.
The plaintiff also points out that Musk has repeatedly predicted that Teslas would soon be able to drive autonomously. The CEO later admitted that he had often been too optimistic with his promises about self-driving cars.
Source: Stern
