California passed a new law prohibiting Tesla to call its software Full Self-Driving (FSD). Although Tesla has never claimed that the FSD is fully autonomous, the electric carmaker is developing the technology for fully autonomous vehicles. Until its vehicles are fully autonomous, drivers must be alert and ready to take over at any time when they engage FSD or Autopilot.
California lawmakers, however, disagree with FSD’s labels. Senate Bill 1398 was one of hundreds that Governor Newsom signed the law. The new law takes effect in 2023 and specifically targets Tesla’s name for its software. The bill was sponsored by Senate Transportation Committee Chair Lena Gonzalez, who claimed that Tesla had falsely advertised its technology and that it was a safety issue.
The bill was sponsored after the California Department of Motor Vehicles claimed Tesla’s FSD was “false advertising.”
An excerpt from the new law reads as follows:
“A dealer or manufacturer shall not sell a new passenger vehicle equipped with a partial drive automation feature or provide a software update or other vehicle upgrade that adds a partial drive automation feature. partial driving, without, at the time of delivery or upgrade of the vehicle, providing the purchaser or owner with a separate notice indicating the name of the feature and clearly describing the functions and limitations of the feature.
“A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial drive automation feature, or describe any partial drive automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, or whose functionality is not actually included in the feature. A violation of this subdivision will be considered misleading advertising for the purposes of item 11713.”
On its Full Self-Driving Capability website, Tesla says all new vehicles have the hardware needed for FSD in the future.
“The system is designed to be able to perform short and long journeys without any intervention from the person occupying the driver’s seat.”
“Future use of these unsupervised features depends on achieving reliability well beyond that of human drivers, as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer. time in some jurisdictions.”
“As these self-driving capabilities are introduced, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates.”
FSD Beta saved me from a head-on collision today. The driver of the vehicle fell asleep. @Elon Musk @WholeMarsBlog @teslaownersSV @WhamBaamYT pic.twitter.com/PS4rO2tZnO
— Press the CO buttons (@CO_MDL3) September 29, 2022
In November, a Tesla owner involved in an accident on Thanksgiving Day claimed the FSD malfunctioned, however, police are still investigating the driver’s allegations. In August, Tesla’s director of autopilot software, Ashok Elluswamy, shared data showing how Tesla’s Autopilot software prevents about 40 crashes a day that would have been caused by sudden, unintended acceleration. Several owner accounts credit Autopilot and FSD for saving their lives.
Disclosure: Johnna is a shareholder of $TSLA and believes in Tesla’s mission.
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