As Tesla Inc. TSLA the owner kept waiting Elon Musk To deliver on his “fully self-driving” promise, a new report shows that fully self-driving capabilities may be further away than most think, or at least in 2016. increase.
Things to know: A CNN report citing testimony from a senior Tesla engineer said the video Tesla used to promote its self-driving technology in 2016 was staged.
The video, which remains archived on Tesla’s website, appeared to show the vehicle stopping at a red light and allowing it to veer off the line and accelerate on its own, but new testimony from Ashok ElswamyTesla’s director of autopilot software indicated the vehicle is incapable of such a thing.
“The intention of the video was not to portray exactly what was available to customers in 2016. It was to depict what could be put into the system,” Ellswamy told Reuters. .
Elluswamy’s testimony marks the first time a Tesla employee has seen how the video was created. A Tesla engineer noted that Tesla staged a video using his 3D mapping on the prescribed route. The driver reportedly had to take over control of the vehicle during a test run. Elswamy said one crashed into a Tesla parking lot fence.
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At the beginning of the video, Tesla says:
When the self-driving video was released in 2016, Musk confirmed on Twitter that the vehicle was driving itself.
“Tesla drives autonomously[without human intervention]going from highway to road through urban roads and finding parking,” Musk said. Said I’ll add a link to the video when I do.
The trial of Musk’s old tweets began on Tuesday. The trial centers around a 2018 tweet that claimed Musk secured the funds needed to take Tesla private.
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TSLA Price Action: Tesla has a 52-week high of $384.29 and a 52-week low of $101.81.
Tesla shares closed 7.43% higher at $131.49 on Tuesday.
Photo: Screenshot from a 2016 video on Tesla’s site.