The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration haslaunched an investigationinto Teslas Autopilot system in response to the crashes.
The probecovers 765,000 Tesla cars thats virtually every car the company has made in the last seven years.
Its alsonot the first timethe federal government has investigated Teslas Autopilot.
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Autosteer uses cameras to detect clearly marked lines on the road to keep the vehicle within its lane.
The company announced on Aug. 19, 2021, that it isbuilding a supercomputer using custom chips.
This provides a partial explanation for the incidents cited by the federal investigation.
This discrepancy between Teslas instructions anddriver behaviorseems to be a factor in the incidents under investigation.
Another possible factor is how Tesla assures that drivers are paying attention.
Earlier versions of Teslas Autopilotwere ineffective in monitoring driver attentionand engagement level when the system is on.
Tesla recently announced that it has begun usinginternal cameras to monitor drivers attentionand alert drivers when they are inattentive.
Another equally important factor contributing to Teslas vehicle crashes is the companys choice of sensor technologies.
Tesla has consistentlyavoided the use of lidar.
In simple terms,lidar is like radarbut with lasers instead of radio waves.
Its capable of precisely detecting objects and estimating their distances.
While working a freeway accident this morning, Engine 42 was struck by a#Teslatraveling at 65 mph.
The driver reports the vehicle was on autopilot.
Amazingly there were no injuries!
Lidar, in contrast, can operate under any lighting conditions and can see in the dark.
The investigation could eventually lead to changes in future Tesla Autopilot and its other self-driving system.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called lidar a fools errand in 2019, saying its expensive and unnecessary.
