Tag: Autopilot

  • Tesla FSD Model to Expand 10x Amid Growing Legal Challenges

    Tesla FSD Model to Expand 10x Amid Growing Legal Challenges

    Key Takeaways

    1. Tesla is developing a new version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology with a tenfold increase in parameters and improved video compression, potentially enhancing its capabilities for complex driving situations.

    2. The announcement comes amid legal challenges, including a Florida jury ruling Tesla partially liable for a fatal Autopilot incident, leading to a $243 million damages order.

    3. Tesla faces a class-action lawsuit from shareholders alleging the company misled investors about the capabilities of its Full Self-Driving and robotaxi technologies.

    4. The robotaxi pilot, which began in Austin in June 2025, is encountering issues such as erratic driving behavior, attracting regulatory scrutiny from the NHTSA.

    5. Despite ongoing controversies and investigations related to Autopilot and FSD, Tesla’s stock rose by 2% following Elon Musk’s announcement, though no detailed timeline for the new FSD model has been provided.

    Tesla is working on a new version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, as mentioned by CEO Elon Musk. In a message on X (previously known as Twitter), Musk indicated that the upcoming FSD architecture will feature “~10X params” along with “a big improvement to video compression loss.” If everything goes well in internal testing, the public might see this update by the end of September.

    Specifications and Expectations

    Even though Tesla hasn’t released detailed specifications, a tenfold increase in parameters suggests that the new model could be at the level of advanced AI systems, which might enhance its capability to navigate and react to complicated driving situations. Currently, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving can manage tasks like navigation, changing lanes, and parking, but it still requires human supervision.

    Legal Challenges and Scrutiny

    This announcement comes at a time when Tesla is under increased scrutiny regarding its self-driving technology. Recently, a Florida jury ordered the company to pay USD 243 million in damages related to a 2019 incident where a Model S on Autopilot failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a parked SUV, resulting in one death and another injury. The jury found Tesla to be 33 percent liable, even though the company maintained that the driver was entirely responsible. This marks the first significant ruling against Tesla in a fatal Autopilot case.

    Shareholder Concerns

    In addition to this, Tesla is also dealing with a fresh lawsuit from its shareholders. A new class-action suit filed in Texas alleges that the company misled investors by exaggerating the capabilities of its Full Self-Driving and robotaxi technologies. The lawsuit claims that Tesla made “materially false and misleading” statements about the effectiveness and legality of its autonomous features.

    Robotaxi Pilot and Regulatory Attention

    All of this occurs as Tesla’s robotaxi pilot, which began quietly operating in Austin in June 2025, is already drawing attention for the wrong reasons. Initial footage shows the self-driving cars veering into incorrect lanes, braking erratically, and even halting in the middle of crosswalks. The NHTSA has contacted Tesla for more information, suggesting that regulatory scrutiny could be on the horizon.

    As of July, the NHTSA has at least 40 ongoing investigations into crashes related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD. Typically, Tesla has addressed concerns through over-the-air updates instead of issuing complete recalls.

    Despite these controversies, Tesla’s stock rose by 2% after Musk’s announcement. However, there has been no official timeline or detailed breakdown regarding the new FSD model yet.

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  • Tesla Faces $200M Verdict in Deadly Autopilot Crash Case

    Tesla Faces $200M Verdict in Deadly Autopilot Crash Case

    Key Takeaways

    1. Tesla must pay over 200 million dollars due to a jury ruling related to its Autopilot feature, following a fatal accident in 2019.
    2. The jury found Tesla 33% at fault for the incident, awarding 129 million dollars in compensatory damages and 200 million dollars in punitive damages.
    3. Plaintiffs accused Tesla of overstating Autopilot’s capabilities and hiding critical crash information, which Tesla denies but admits to missing important data.
    4. Tesla plans to appeal the ruling, arguing that the crash could not have been avoided by any car and warning of potential impacts on autonomous driving advancements.
    5. The verdict may lead to more lawsuits against Tesla and could diminish public confidence in the company’s automation claims, as it coincides with preparations for the Robotaxi launch.

    A jury in Florida has decided that Tesla must pay over 200 million dollars in a significant case related to its Autopilot driver assistance feature. This ruling represents one of the most notable legal setbacks for Elon Musk’s company. The incident in 2019 resulted in the death of 22-year-old Benavides Leon and left her boyfriend with serious injuries after their parked SUV was hit by a Tesla Model 3. The vehicle was driven by a distracted driver who was using the Autopilot system. The jury determined that Tesla was 33% at fault and awarded 129 million dollars in compensatory damages, along with 200 million dollars in punitive damages.

    Accusations Against Tesla

    Lawyers for the plaintiffs claimed that Tesla knowingly overstated the capabilities of Autopilot while hiding important crash information, which was later discovered by a forensic specialist. Tesla has denied any wrongdoing but acknowledged that it had missed critical data, labeling it as a mistake. The company plans to appeal the decision, insisting that “no car” could have avoided the crash and cautioning that the verdict might slow advancements in autonomous driving technology.

    Implications of the Verdict

    This ruling arrives at a time when Tesla is preparing for its Robotaxi launch in the United States. Legal analysts suggest that this case could lead to a surge in similar lawsuits, especially as more troubling internal information comes to light. One attorney referred to this as a “watershed moment” that could change the public’s confidence in Tesla’s claims about automation.

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  • Tesla Safety Tips: Car Fire and Accident Frequency Explained

    Tesla Safety Tips: Car Fire and Accident Frequency Explained

    Key Takeaways

    1. Tesla vehicles require up to 8,000 gallons of water to extinguish battery fires, raising safety concerns on ferries and other transport methods.
    2. Tesla claims its electric vehicles catch fire eight times less frequently than the national average, based on a controversial measurement of fires per billion miles driven.
    3. Fires in Tesla vehicles are challenging to extinguish due to thermal runaway, often necessitating specialized firefighting techniques and large amounts of water.
    4. Tesla asserts that its vehicles are ten times safer than human drivers when using the Autopilot feature, with a significant reduction in accident frequency.
    5. The safety performance of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature remains unclear, as Tesla has not disclosed its comparative safety records against human drivers.

    Tesla has stated that it can take as much as 8,000 gallons of water to put out a fire in one of its battery-operated vehicles. The fire risks associated with electric vehicles are a common concern on ferries, with several of them even refusing to allow such cars to board.

    Recent Incidents

    Not long ago, a second car carrier ship sank after electric vehicles onboard caught fire, and firefighters were unable to extinguish the flames in time. However, Tesla, in its latest environmental impact report, aims to debunk the notion that electric cars are prone to frequent fires.

    Fire Statistics

    Using a somewhat questionable measurement of vehicle fires per billion miles driven, Tesla claims that its electric vehicles catch fire eight times less frequently than the national average in the United States. For every billion miles driven, there are 6.5 incidents of Teslas igniting for various reasons, whereas the average across all vehicle types in the US is 55. It’s important to note that Tesla cars are generally newer than the overall US vehicle fleet, which is nearing an average age of 13 years, setting a new record.

    Challenges in Extinguishing Fires

    The issue with fires in Tesla vehicles isn’t that they happen more often than in gasoline-powered cars, but rather that they are extremely difficult to extinguish, even with fire extinguishers designed for electric fires, like First Alert’s rechargeable model. When electric car batteries enter thermal runaway, they can ignite repeatedly, requiring firefighters to receive specialized training and often utilize equipment that punctures the battery casing to directly spray the cells inside.

    For example, a single burning Tesla Semi required enough water—typically enough for 50 internal combustion engine vehicles—before the flames were finally put out, and this incident even necessitated the use of a firefighting plane as the Semi had crashed in a forest.

    Safety Ratings and Features

    In addition to fire risks and lifecycle emissions, the 2025 Tesla environmental impact report also shares safety data. Tesla claims its vehicles are ten times safer than a human driver when the Autopilot driver-assist feature is activated.

    With Autopilot engaged, Tesla cars are involved in one incident every 6.77 million miles driven, while the average for the US is 0.7 million miles. Even without Autopilot, Tesla’s other active safety features result in an average of 1.18 million miles traveled between accidents.

    Full Self-Driving Safety

    However, Tesla has been silent regarding the safety performance of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature compared to human operators. FSD is an optional paid feature that is frequently used for navigating city traffic, which is often more unpredictable.

    Recently, Tesla introduced unsupervised FSD to public roads in Austin to launch its Robotaxi ride-share platform and has just begun collecting safety data from this initiative. The city of Austin rates Tesla’s unsupervised FSD as Level 4 on the vehicle autonomy scale, indicating it does not require human driver input, but the safety record of the driverless Model Y vehicles that Tesla has started using for its Robotaxi service remains uncertain.

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  • Tesla sued after fatal Model S crash in New Jersey with Autopilot

    Tesla sued after fatal Model S crash in New Jersey with Autopilot

    Key Takeaways

    1. The family of three victims from a New Jersey car accident has filed a lawsuit against Tesla.
    2. The accident occurred while the Tesla Model S was using its Autopilot feature, resulting in a crash into a concrete bridge support.
    3. The lawsuit alleges a design flaw in the vehicle and claims the emergency braking system failed to activate.
    4. The family argues that Tesla did not adequately inform the driver about the safety limitations of the Autopilot system.
    5. Tesla has faced multiple complaints regarding its advanced driver-assistance systems, but insists that drivers must remain attentive and in control at all times.

    The family of three individuals who tragically died in a car accident in New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against Tesla in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. The victims lost their lives in a Model S that had its Autopilot feature engaged on September 14, 2024.

    Details of the Incident

    David Dryerman, who was driving, along with his wife Michele and their daughter Brooke, were returning home from a music festival when their Tesla Model S unexpectedly left the road and collided with a concrete bridge support. At the time of the crash, all three were reportedly secured with seatbelts.

    Allegations Against Tesla

    According to the lawsuit, the Dryermans’ vehicle drifted out of its lane because of a design flaw. It also claims that the emergency braking system failed to activate, which might have stopped the accident from occurring. The family’s estates assert that Tesla did not inform David of the Model S’s safety limitations. They referenced CEO Elon Musk’s 2016 statement, which suggested that Autopilot was “probably better” than human drivers.

    The legal documentation states, “Thousands of Tesla drivers have trusted the company’s ADAS technology as if it could perform safe, fully autonomous driving with just a few software updates, while in reality, it struggles to manage various everyday driving situations without driver intervention.”

    Compensation Details

    The lawsuit does not outline the specific compensatory and punitive damages sought by the plaintiffs.

    Tesla has been the subject of several complaints related to its advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Nevertheless, the company maintains that Autopilot should only be used with the driver fully focused and hands on the steering wheel at all times.

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  • Xiaomi Self-Driving System Criticized After Fatal SU7 Crash

    Xiaomi Self-Driving System Criticized After Fatal SU7 Crash

    Key Takeaways

    1. Xiaomi’s first electric vehicle, the SU7, has been a major success, generating around $2 billion in revenue in 2024 and remaining on back-order in China nearly a year after launch.

    2. A tragic crash involving the SU7 occurred in Tongling, Anhui province, resulting in the deaths of three people and raising concerns about the vehicle’s safety features.

    3. The accident involved the vehicle’s Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) feature, which was active at the time of the crash, but no confirmed link has been established between NOA and the incident.

    4. The crash happened when the vehicle, traveling at around 60 mph, hit a guardrail after an unexpected lane change due to highway construction.

    5. Following the accident, Xiaomi’s stock price dropped significantly from 51 HKD to 44.55 HKD, coinciding with preparations for the launch of their second electric vehicle, the YU7.

    Xiaomi’s first electric vehicle has been a huge success, and it’s still said to be on back-order in China almost a year after its launch. The vehicle has brought in around $2 billion in revenue for the company in 2024 and led to the introduction of a performance-oriented Ultra version.

    Tragic News from Tongling

    Now, the SU7 is making headlines again in China, but not for good reasons. A crash on a highway in Tongling, Anhui province, has reportedly led to a fire that took the lives of 3 people inside the car.

    The mishap happened on March 29, 2025, and involved a regular version of the SU7, which had its Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) feature active. It was reported that the car reached a speed of 72 miles per hour (mph) or 116 kilometers per hour (km/h) at one moment.

    Details of the Incident

    Seconds before the crash, the driver was able to regain control of the vehicle, but the crash happened at around 60 mph (97 km/h) after hitting a guardrail. At the time, the highway was under construction, which is believed to have caused an unexpected lane change by the vehicle.

    As of now, there has been no confirmed connection between the NOA system and this incident, though Xiaomi has provided the vehicle’s system and driving data to the police in Tongling.

    Impact on Xiaomi’s Stock

    The accident has affected Xiaomi’s stock price, which fell from about 51 HKD on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on March 28, 2025, to 44.55 HKD as of now. Furthermore, this report comes at a particularly unfortunate time for the company, as it is reportedly preparing to launch its second EV, the YU7, later this year.

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    Xiaomi Self-Driving System Criticized After Fatal SU7 Crash

     

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