Does Tesla misrepresent?

In the United States, the Department of Motor Vehicles (the DMV) manages the registration of motor vehicles as well as the issuance of driver’s licenses. A government agency that accuses Tesla of misleading advertising, no more and no less.

The DMV’s argument is based on the fact that two on-board technologies, Autopilot and FSD (Full Self-Driving Computer), do not constitute an autonomous driving system. Why ? Because vehicles equipped with these technologies “could not, at the time of these ads, and still cannot, operate as autonomous vehicles” says the DMV.

Tesla’s American site announces that Autopilot “Allows your vehicle to steer, accelerate and brake automatically in its lane” while the FSD “allows you to obey traffic lights and make lane changes”. What, according to the DMV, to mislead the customer by making him dangle that their Tesla is able to drive 100% autonomously. However, as we know, the driver must always be in control of his vehicle. In defense of the manufacturer, it is specified on its site that these technologies “require active supervision by the driver” and that the latter must also be “fully active”. But for the DMV, that’s not enough.

Compensation in sight?

According to Reuters, the US department could force Tesla to no longer be able to sell its vehicles in California. A disaster for the brand which sold some 121,000 models in this state alone in 2021! Worse, the DMV could also force Tesla to compensate all customers who filed complaints!

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