Tesla and NHTSA withhold data on Autopilot crashes, report suggests

A recent investigation into Tesla’s controversial Autopilot claims that the US automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA) have been hiding information about crashes that have taken place involving the system. The investigation, carried out by Wall Street Journal. covered more than 200 such incidents and revealed that the Autopilot system has struggled in dealing with obstacles, and in multiple instances, cars with the system engaged have been found to have veered off the road.

The WSJ report suggests that both Tesla and NHTSA have not divulged important and specific details about the reported incidents, which include the crash narrative and the date of the incidents. The EV giant, headed by CEO Elon Musk, has claimed that such data is confidential business information, not revealing anything further. The NHTSA has stated its obligation to safeguard personal privacy under US federal law as the reason behind why they are unable to provide detailed information about these crashes.

Accidents and crashes involving Tesla cars with the Autopilot engaged are being seen as avoidable. In multiple instances, these cars have been found to have hit emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. In further occurrences, Tesla cars have been reported to have hit obstacles that were clearly visible or veer off course at T-junctions. Tesla possesses control over access to crash data, and owners of Tesla EVs are able to download vehicle data for reviewing. The automaker has further stated that it can only share information when required to do so through the police or through lawsuits. WSJ has said that in order to find out what the cameras on Tesla vehicles record and how they process that information, it is necessary to gain access to the vehicle’s onboard computer.

Tesla’s Autopilot: What is it really?

Tesla’s Autopilot has been subject to controversy over how it has been marketed. Its actual functional capabilities are not as straightforward as the name suggests. On the company website, Autopilot is described as an “advanced driver assistance system," that is geared towards enhancing safety and convenience for the driver. Autopilot does not give the car autonomous capabilities but aims to reduce the “overall workload" for the driver.

People have pointed fingers at the vagueness of the marketing, claiming it as being intentional in order to create market hype. It is important to note that Tesla cars with Autopilot do not use radar or LiDAR, unlike other manufacturers, and this system requires the driver to pay complete attention to their surroundings in spite of what the name suggests. The system uses eight external cameras fitted onto the cars which run through a vision processor. With this feed, the vehicle is able to match its speed to that of the surrounding traffic as well as autosteer within a lane with clear markings.

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