Consumer Reports is calling on Tesla to disable its “Autopilot” feature that enables hands-free operation. Citing the recent fatal accident involving a car with Autopilot engaged, Consumer Reports labels the feature as “Too Much Autonomy Too Soon.”

Tesla says it will continue development of Autopilot, insisting that drivers supported by Autopilot “remain safer than those operating without assistance.”

In an extensive article posted at the top of its website Thursday morning, Consumer Reports said Tesla should “disable hands-free operation until its system can be made safer.”

“By marketing their feature as ‘Autopilot,’ Tesla gives consumers a false sense of security,” said Laura MacCleery, vice president of consumer policy and mobilization for Consumer Reports, in the article.

“In the long run, advanced active safety technologies in vehicles could make our roads safer. But today, we’re deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology. ‘Autopilot’ can’t actually drive the car, yet it allows consumers to have their hands off the steering wheel for minutes at a time. Tesla should disable automatic steering in its cars until it updates the program to verify that the driver’s hands are on the wheel.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the fatal crash.

Consumer Reports spelled out four steps it believes Tesla should take:

  • Disable Autosteer until it can be reprogrammed to require drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel
  • Stop referring to the system as “Autopilot” as it is misleading and potentially dangerous
  • Issue clearer guidance to owners on how the system should be used and its limitations
  • Test all safety-critical systems fully before public deployment; no more beta releases

In an email to the Associated Press, a Tesla spokeswoman said the company has no plans to change the name, and that Autopilot is safer than cars operating without the electronic assistance of cameras, radar and computers. “While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decisions on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by the media,” the spokeswoman said.

Consumer Reports said it contacted Tesla directly about its concerns and Tesla responded as follows:

Consumer Reports contacted Tesla about these concerns, and the company sent this response via email:

“Tesla is constantly introducing enhancements, proven over millions of miles of internal testing, to ensure that drivers supported by Autopilot remain safer than those operating without assistance. We will continue to develop, validate, and release those enhancements as the technology grows. While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decisions on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by media.”

Tesla also defended the safety record of the system, writing that “130 million miles have been driven on Autopilot, with one confirmed fatality.” The company underscored that its beta software development process includes “significant internal validation.”

Consumer Reports’ own Tesla tests

In the article, Consumer Reports noted its own tests of Teslas and what they found:

Consumer Reports has owned three Teslas (2013 Model S 85, 2014 Model S P85D, and 2016 Model X 90D) and we’ve seen first-hand how such beta software is transmitted wirelessly into the cars. When software in a desktop computer or handheld electronic device is labeled as “beta”—it typically means that functionality is not fully developed and is still being fine-tuned.

Tesla says that the system makes frequent checks to ensure that the driver’s hands remain on the wheel, but our recent testing on a Model X in Autopilot mode on a long, straight road found that the system took more than three minutes after our tester’s hands were removed from the wheel before the vehicle gave any warning.

Being early adopters, many Tesla owners may want to test the limits of cutting-edge features included in updates to their cars. And while some drivers may be skilled and understanding of such features, confidence in or over reliance on the technology can have potentially fatal consequences.

Read the full Consumer Reports article at:

http://www.consumerreports.org/tesla/tesla-autopilot-too-much-autonomy-too-soon/

Watch a video about Autopilot at: