Test report continues to put Tesla under pressure

The influential US consumer magazine Consumer Reports has reported dangerous deficiencies in the "Autopilot" driver assistance program from the electric car manufacturer Tesla. On a test track, engineers on the Model Y managed to use the program despite the empty driver's seat, Consumer Reports announced. The system did not issue any warnings or notices. Such a scenario would represent an "extreme danger" on public roads, according to the newspaper. The Consumer Reports investigation continues to put Tesla under pressure after an accident with an empty driver's seat, police reports say, in which two men were recently killed. Tesla itself points out to customers that the so-called autopilot is only an assistance system and that the person in the driver's seat must therefore keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. Actually, the software should notice it and emit warning tones if this is not the case. But in the Consumer Reports test, the system allegedly failed not only to ensure that the driver can take over the wheel at all times - according to the report, it was not even able to determine whether the driver's seat was occupied at all. "Tesla is falling behind other automakers such as General Motors and Ford when it comes to models with advanced driver assistance programs that use technology that ensures that the driver can keep an eye on the road," said Consumer Reports expert Jake Fisher. A statement from Tesla was initially not available. The electric car manufacturer of star entrepreneur Elon Musk has long been under pressure to justify itself because of the term "autopilot". Critics find that the name is an exaggeration that could lead to negligent use. This discussion should continue to gather momentum. Because Tesla even calls the next evolutionary stage of the program, which is currently in the test phase, "full self-driving", although according to current criteria it remains an assistance system.