Two months ago, Tesla revised its website in China to make it more clear that the company’s Autopilot assisted-steering feature is not a fully hands-off autonomous driving function. Now, German authorities are calling on the electric vehicle maker to rethink the Autopilot name to avoid any confusion that could lead to dangerous collisions. [More]
tesla
Americans Pretty Sure Autonomous Cars Are Safer, Want To Keep Driving Anyway
By 9.28.16
In just a few short years, self-driving cars have made the shift from being the stuff of science fiction to actually hitting the road. Right now the tech is still largely in the testing stage, and human drivers sit in the front seat ready to take control. But as automakers, ride-hailing companies, and tech giants bring all their AI drivers onto the highways, one big question looms: will anyone actually want to buy a car that drives itself? Or are we just too in love with the American mythos of a steering wheel and the open road? [More]
Tired Of Earth? Elon Musk Unveils Plans To Colonize Mars
By 9.27.16
Although the verdict is still out (there somewhere) on whether or not there is life on Mars, there soon could be Earthlings on the planet. At least that’s the latest plan from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who today unveiled the latest project for his SpaceX venture. [More]
Tesla Suing Michigan After State Officials Reject Company’s Bid To Open Dealership
By 9.22.16
After Michigan denied Tesla Motors’ application for licenses to sell directly to consumers, the company has filed a lawsuit against the state, challenging a law that says automakers can only sell through franchised dealerships. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Tesla’s “Insane Mode” Not Insane Enough
By 9.21.16
There are definitions for terms like “horsepower” and “torque,” but last we checked the auto industry has yet to finalize a standard for what constitutes an “insane” or “ludicrous” driving mode. Despite that lack of consensus, a number of Tesla owners say the automaker misled them, and that their Model S vehicles are not so speedy as to be certifiably insane. [More]
Tesla Fires Back At Mobileye’s Claim It Broke Up With Carmaker Over Autopilot Safety
By 9.16.16
Yesterday, automotive tech company Mobileye claimed that it stopped providing parts for Tesla’s Autopilot assisted-driving system over concerns the carmaker was “pushing the envelope in terms of safety.” Now Tesla is firing back, saying the breakup occurred because Mobileye was unhappy to learn that Tesla planned to take over manufacturing of some Autopilot components. [More]
Tesla Supplier Says It Broke With Carmaker Over Autopilot Safety Concerns
By 9.15.16
In July, automotive tech company Mobileye, which had provided parts for Tesla’s Autopilot assisted-driving system, announced that it was ending its relationship with the carmaker. Now Mobileye says it parted ways with Tesla because Autopilot was “pushing the envelope in terms of safety.” [More]
Tesla Claims Man With Pals In Big Oil Tried To Impersonate Elon Musk
By 9.15.16
It sounds like an obvious plot in a movie: a man working for Big Oil tries to steal secrets from an electric car company by impersonating its CEO to steal financial secrets! Except it really happened, according to a new lawsuit from Tesla Motors that claims someone pretended to be Elon Musk in a bid to get juicy inside information. [More]
Tesla Updating Autopilot Feature With Radar, Driver Engagement Safety Check
By 9.12.16
Two months after Tesla said its Autopilot feature wasn’t going anywhere amid a federal safety investigation into what part the feature played in the first fatal crash to occur while the semi-autonomous function was activated, the electric carmaker has unveiled a software update that it claims will better incorporate the use of radar, and which the company says could have prevented the May crash.
Tesla Revamping Model S & Model X To Provide More Charge, Faster Acceleration
By 8.23.16
Soon you’ll be able to drive that Tesla Model X or Model S faster for a longer period of time, as the electric carmaker’s CEO Elon Musk has announced the company is developing two new versions of the vehicles. [More]
Tesla Model S Engulfed In Flames During Worst Test Drive Ever
By 8.16.16
You might remember a few years ago that after three Tesla Model S sedans caught fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stepped in and opened an investigation into the series of fires, and Tesla made changes to the vehicles based on what happened. Now another fire has happened in France. [More]
Tesla Removes The Words “Autopilot” & “Self-Driving” From China Website
By 8.15.16
After a crash involving a Tesla driver in Beijing who said he took his hands off the steering wheel while the car was in “Autopilot mode,” the company says it’s removed that word and a Chinese term that means “self-driving” from its China website. [More]
Forget Solar Panels, Elon Musk Wants To Sell You A Solar Roof
By 8.10.16
Sure, a patchwork of solar panels may be sprouting up on everyone’s homes, but why dot your roof with the installations when you can just put up an entire “solar roof?” That could soon be a possibility, at least if Tesla and SolarCity have their way. [More]
Tesla Says Driver Took Hands Off Wheel In Latest “Autopilot” Crash
By 8.10.16
Once again, high-end electric car maker Tesla is in the spotlight following a crash by a driver who was using the company’s “Autopilot” feature. However, the company says the driver was taking the term “autopilot” too literally. [More]
Tesla Buys SolarCity For $2.6B
By 8.1.16
After working together for years to build and test solar-based batteries for homes and businesses, Tesla has agreed to buy SolarCity — which is already chaired by CEO Elon Musk — for $2.6 billion. [More]
Investigators: Driver In Fatal Tesla Autopilot Crash Was Speeding
By 7.26.16
As federal safety investigators continue to investigate the first fatal crash allegedly involving Tesla’s autopilot feature, a preliminary report found that the vehicle was speeding before the collision. [More]
Tesla Won’t Disable Autopilot Feature Amid NHTSA Investigation
By 7.12.16
Tesla’s Autopilot function isn’t going anywhere, company executives say, despite a recently launched federal safety investigation into what part the feature played in the first fatality crash to occur while the semi-autonomous function was activated, and a reported probe into whether Tesla properly informed its investors of the collision. [More]
Tesla Probed By SEC Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
By 7.12.16
Nearly two weeks after Tesla announced the first fatal crash in one of the company’s electric vehicles while operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode, federal regulators are reportedly investigating whether the carmaker was forthright with offering information about the crash to investors. [More]
