People still have mixed opinions on Autopilot, the driver-assisted driving system of electric car manufacturer Tesla. So why did Tesla develop such a system in the first place? Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently disclosed the reasons for the company’s release of Autopilot in a Twitter interaction with fans Truth_Tesla. He said that this was the company’s efforts after the tragedy of a Tesla owner falling asleep and hitting a cyclist to death.
Tesla owner in Norway suffers unconsciousness while driving, Tesla autopilot detects it, slows, comes to a stop so EMS can help @elonmusk @Tesla ❤️🩹🚑
— Austin Tesla Club (@AustinTeslaClub) July 31, 2021
Initially, Truth_Tesla shared a video showing a scene where the Norwegian driver of the Tesla Model S was drunk and unconscious. Fortunately, the Autopilot on this car was activated at the time, which meant that it could alert other drivers in a dangerous situation, and then slow down and prompt the car to stop safely. No one was injured in this incident.
Subsequently, Musk shared many details of the initial development of Autopilot. He said that in order to release Autopilot’s V1 iteration to consumers, Tesla actually made a lot of effort. Musk also said that after the tragedy, the driver in question sued Tesla instead, claiming that the new car smell made him fall asleep. However, the judge did not support the driver’s view and dismissed the lawsuit. Since then, Autopilot has continued to improve, and it remains the same today.
