Tesla Federal investigations are reportedly underway again into allegations about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.
According to a report by US regulators are investigating whether Tesla committed securities or wire fraud Reuters On Wednesday. This investigation focuses on claims about the Tesla vehicle’s self-driving capability and whether these claims mislead investors and consumers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly investigating unspecified statements from Elon Musk that the cars drive themselves. This is the first time we have learned what specific crimes are allegedly being investigated.
According to Reuters:
Investigators are looking into whether Tesla committed wire fraud, which is deception in interstate communications, by misleading consumers about its driver assistance systems, the sources said. They are also looking into whether Tesla committed securities fraud by deceiving investors, two of the sources said.
The DOJ and the Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tesla is no stranger to federal investigations into its autonomous driving system. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would investigate the company for its consequences Recall of more than 2 million vehicles with Autopilot. According to data, more than 20 Tesla vehicles with Autopilot have been involved in accidents since this recall the edge. Last October, Tesla confirmed that the The DOJ filed a subpoena You can find out more about Tesla’s self-driving features here.
Musk recently commented on Tesla’s move more autonomous vehicles in the company’s most recent earnings release. For years he has been pushing the idea of Tesla owners letting their cars function as robotaxis when not in use. Musk says a fleet of robot taxis is just months away, and he promoted the idea on his recent trip to China, but the Tesla CEO is no stranger to big demands. According to him a SpaceX mission was supposed to land on Mars in a few years.
While Tesla insists that its vehicles must be supervised by the driver, Musk has made statements In the past, the idea was to get rid of the annoying notifications that ask the driver to keep their hands on the wheel when Autopilot is activated. It seems like he’s changing his tune tweet Tesla’s CEO on Tuesday made sure to emphasize the word “monitored” when referring to the company’s self-driving feature.