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Tesla Autopilot was engaged during 60 MPH crash, driver tells police
By Mary Papenfuss The Tesla Autopilot system was engaged when a Tesla Model S sedan was crushed as it rammed into a stopped truck at 60 MPH in Utah last week, the driver has told police. The driver luckily escaped with only a broken foot, though the car suffered extensive damage.
Tesla reportedly nixed Autopilot safeguards for cost and ineffectiveness
Tesla engineers considered incorporating additional safeguards into the company's Autopilot driver assistance system such as eye-tracking technology or steering wheel sensors, the Wall Street Journal reports, but those features were ultimately rejected due to concerns over cost and effectiveness. Both before implementing the system and again following a fatal crash in 2016 that involved what appeared to be an overreliance on Autopilot, Tesla executives explored ways to ensure drivers were looking at the road and touching the steering wheel, according to WSJ sources. However, eye-tracking technology was called into question both for the costs associated with the required cameras and sensors as well as for concerns on how well it would work with drivers of different heights. Cost concerns also led to a rejection of steering wheel sensors.
Tesla: Model 3 production could hit 5,000 per week in two months
One of the major stories about Tesla's car business has been its struggle to build sufficient quantities of its Model 3 electric car. In a just-released earnings report the company said that prior to its most recent shutdown, it had managed to build over 2,000 cars per week for three weeks in a row for the first time, and anticipates it will manage 5,000 per week in two months. Following comments from Elon Musk that over-reliance on robots slowed production, the earnings report expanded on that angle. In certain production areas like "portions of the battery module line, part of the material flow system, and two steps of general assembly" it has "temporarily" dialed back automation in favor of semi-automated or manual processes. If it can hit its production goals, Tesla also claims that it can be profitable in Q3 and Q4 of this year. On an earnings call after the release, Musk specifically detailed a "Flufferbot" Tesla created to place fluff on a battery, before determining that humans were better at it and that the fluff wasn't necessary. He also chided journalists for coverage of Autopilot-related crashes, claiming that they shouldn't be writing about it, since, he said, it could lead to people turning off the feature and dying in a crash. Expect to see "quarterly safety statistics" from Tesla about the feature going forward. That people have died with the feature engaged did not come up. Musk also got tired of "boring" questions from investors and turned for a few minutes to crowdsourced questions from YouTube.
Tesla owner faces 18-month ban for leaving the driver's seat
Tesla will be one of the first to tell you not to put too much faith in Autopilot. It's currently more of an advanced driver assist than a full self-driving system. However, one driver recently ignored that advice in dramatic fashion. Nottingham, UK resident Bhavesh Patel has received an 18-month driving ban after he was caught sitting in the passenger seat of his Model S on the M1 in May 2017. The man said he invoked Autopilot and was betting that its "amazing" semi-autonomous guidance would keep the car rolling at the estimated 40MPH of surrounding traffic.
Tesla loses Autopilot chief Jim Keller (updated)
Tesla's Autopilot chief has left the building. The automaker hired veteran chipmaker Jim Keller from AMD back in 2016 before it announced that it's working on its own AI chip. Keller worked for Apple before AMD and was a key figure in the development of the A4 and A5 processors for iPhones and iPads. The spokesperson who confirmed the news to Electrek said he's leaving to join a company where he can once again focus on his core passion: microprocessor engineering. According to The Wall Street Journal, that company is Intel.
Federal investigators 'unhappy' Tesla revealed crash details
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is "unhappy" that Tesla released information about the fiery March 23rd crash that killed a driver. In a blog post last Friday, Elon Musk said that the Autopilot was active when the Model struck a highway barrier and caught fire. He also noted that according to vehicle data, driver Wei Huang didn't have his hands on the steering wheel for six seconds prior to the crash into a disabled safety barrier.
Tesla puts Model 3 Autopilot controls on the steering wheel
Tesla has rectified one of the biggest Model 3 issues that cropped up during early reviews from Engadget and others. Until now, operating key vehicle functions like the Autopilot required tapping on the center display, effectively pulling the driver's eyes off the road. With a new update, however, drivers can adjust the Autopilot's cruise speed and follow distance via the steering wheel scroll buttons.
Tesla: Autopilot was engaged in fatal Model X crash
After a fiery crash in Mountain View, CA last week killed the driver of a Tesla Model X, the company provided an update on the incident with a blog post. It did not name the driver, identified by ABC 7 News as Apple engineer and former EA programmer Walter Huang, while confirming that its Autopilot feature was engaged at the time of the crash.
Tesla Model 3 review: the fast and infuriating
I was standing next to the Model 3 when a guy on a bike rode by and yelled, "How is it?" My typical interactions with people who ask about Tesla's affordable sedan (so many people ask me about the car) typically take about five minutes. I point out the highlights and issues I've encountered while driving. Without thinking, I threw him a thumbs up. It was a gut reaction to a car I've come to adore but have also been confused by. I should have yelled, "It's complicated!
Can Tesla avoid becoming the BlackBerry of electric cars?
It wasn't that long ago that the idea of a semi-autonomous, or even an electric car, driving on public roads was incredibly far-fetched. Sure, there were hybrids from companies like Toyota and Honda, but nothing that anyone with a straight face would call cool. Tesla changed all that, first with its roadster but then (more importantly) with its Model S and Autopilot. Its cars had an EV range of more than 200 miles and made caring about the environment and driving "the future" a status symbol. Tesla changed everything in the automotive world and now, well now, the industry has caught up and Elon Musk's company is mired in what he calls "production hell."
CNBC: Tesla is working on its own AI chip with help from AMD (update: apparently not)
It's no secret that Tesla always wanted to develop an in-house chip to handle its cars' autonomous functions. Well, according to CNBC, the EV-maker is close to reaching that goal -- with help from AMD. The company is reportedly building its chip on top of AMD technology and is even working with AMD spin-off and chip fabricator GlobalFoundries to make its vision a reality. It also hired Jim Keller, who previously worked with AMD and Apple, to lead its chip division. In fact, they're far enough in the development process to be able to make samples of the processor's first implementation, and Tesla has already begun testing them.
NTSB places blame on both driver and tech in fatal Tesla crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made its final determinations on the cause of the fatal Tesla Model S crash that took place in Florida in May of last year. In a report set to be released in the next few days, the NTSB concludes that the accident was the fault of both drivers and has issued a series of recommendations to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), manufacturers of Level 2 automated driving systems, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers.
Tesla quietly upgrades Autopilot hardware in new cars
Tesla may have promised that all its newly-made vehicles from October 2016 onward would have the groundwork for self-driving capabilities, but that doesn't mean its technology is set in stone. Electrek has learned that Tesla is quietly equipping new Model 3, S and X production units with upgraded Autopilot hardware (HW 2.5). Don't put your barely-used P100D up for sale, though, as this isn't a night-and-day upgrade. Although Electrek says the new gear includes a secondary node to enable more computing power, a spokesperson says 2.5 is really about adding "computing and wiring redundancy" that "very slightly" boosts reliability.
Tesla reshuffles its Autopilot self-driving team
Earlier this year Tesla announced engineer Chris Lattner would leave Apple and lead its Autopilot engineering team, but just five months later he is departing. Lattner, the designer of Apple's Swift programming language, tweeted "Turns out that Tesla isn't a good fit for me after all," while Tesla announced it has hired Andrej Karpathy, "one of the world's leading experts in computer vision and deep learning." He will become the company's Director of AI and Autopilot Vision, reporting directly to CEO Elon Musk, who he may know well from his previous job as a research scientist at the Musk-backed OpenAI.
Tesla driver in fatal Autopilot crash ignored safety warnings
Following the investigation of a fatal Tesla Model S crash, the NTSB concluded in a 500-page report that the driver, Joshua Brown, ignored repeated "Autopilot" warnings to keep his hands on the wheel. "For the vast majority of the trip, the Autopilot hands-on state remained at 'hands required, not detected,' " the report states. Specifically, Brown was supposed to have his hands on the wheel for a 37-minute portion of the trip, and did so for just 25 seconds.
Tesla makes Autopilot 'smooth as silk' for current models
Just because your Tesla can periodically drive itself doesn't mean you'll always like it. Elon Musk himself acknowledges that the sometimes rough Autopilot driving can be "unpleasant." You won't be jolted quite so frequently in the near future, though. Musk has teased that a June update will give recent Model S and Model X variants (that is, any vehicle made in October 2016 or later) Autopilot control that's "smooth as silk." It should be "safer," too, suggesting that Tesla is determined to avoid even the slightest chance that it's responsible for a crash.
Tesla collects videos from cars to improve its self-driving tech
If Tesla is going to fulfill its ambitions of making practical self-driving cars, it's going to need a lot of real-world data to teach its cars what to look for -- and that includes your own car. Tesla has pushed an Autopilot update that, in addition to bringing newer vehicles up to snuff (more on that later), includes a new data policy that mentions collecting "short video clips" from external cameras in the name of autonomous driving upgrades. The footage will help Tesla's systems learn how to recognize lanes, signs and other visual cues that cars need to get around. We won't blame you if that has you feeling nervous, but Tesla is quick to head off at least some privacy concerns.
Tesla's Autopilot lawsuit ends with a ho-hum settlement
Tesla's lawsuit over the alleged theft of Autopilot trade secrets is coming to a quick end. The electric car maker has settled its lawsuit against Sterling Anderson, who was accused of violating his contract by making off with Tesla technology and forming a competing self-driving startup, Aurora Innovation, with the help of both former Tesla engineers and Google's Chris Urmson. The deal has Tesla withdraw its claims without asking for damages, court costs or any findings of guilt. In return, though, Anderson and Aurora are not only paying $100,000, but will face some very close scrutiny.
Drone sales doubled in 2016, proving they're not a novelty
While it may have been a disappointing holiday season for some drone makers, dollar-for-dollar drone sales in the United States have more than doubled over the past year. According to a new report from market research company the NPD Group, "premium" drones -- classified as anything over $300 -- were the biggest money makers for the twelve months starting in February 2016, but high-end features like autopilot and "follow-me" mode are now making their way into the best-selling consumer level devices.
Latest Tesla patch enables Autosteer at 80 mph for HW2 models
The new Autopilot features have been lurking in Tesla's latest electric vehicles for a few months and now they're ready to go live. For HW2 vehicles we're talking things like the Lane Departure Warning system, Autosteer at much higher speeds (80mph versus the previous 55mph), Auto Lane Change and the Summon feature. Auto Lane Change, as you might expect, will swap lanes after you activate the turn signal while in Autopilot. Summon is pretty self-explanatory as well, activating a self-parking-and-retrieval system that you can control via the Tesla mobile app or your key fob. The newer HW2 vehicles (produced after October 18th, 2016) rolled off the assembly line with better sensors and cameras, but this new patch brings the functionality up to par with the older HW1 models.
