California Says Tesla Violating Truth-In-Advertising Provisions - May Ban Autopilot Name

The problem with the Autopilot name is that California’s DMV is concerned that it might make drivers too confident in its capabilities, and that some accidents might be caused by people that thought that it could drive a car without any intervention, which is not the case with the current status of the technology.

Meanwhile, Tesla representatives have explained that the system needs more attention than the identically-named technology used in the aviation industry, where the operator must remain vigilant and monitor the system, but it cannot fly entirely without humans.

California’s DMV disagrees with Tesla and any other brand that uses terms like these. The officials at the DMV consider that a “reasonable person” might believe that the advertising using this name or with tag lines like “automated,” “self-driving,” or “auto-pilot” falls under the watch of the truth-in-advertising provisions placed in the Vehicle Code.

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nguyenvuminh - 10/3/2016 1:02:21 PM

+7 Boost

I can see the logic behind this concern. Call it what it is, some sort of driver's assistance.

TheSteve - 10/3/2016 2:03:40 PM

+7 Boost

Autopilot does indeed sound like it's an autonomous driving system. Many people said that from the get-go, yet the good folks at Tesla seemed to have missed that.

I guess a great product name is more important for marketing than using a name that accurately describes what the product actually does. I don't think Tesla DriveAssist would have made such a big splash as Autopilot did.

wcbrown - 10/3/2016 5:47:38 PM

+6 Boost

FINALLY, someone (the title of this article) said it! Geez.

SanJoseDriver - 10/3/2016 7:12:33 PM

-2 Boost

With the radar improvements, I hope they can one day get to to Level 3/4 autonomy. Might be a long shot though with two-year-old hardware. Autopilot is catchy, would be unfortunate to lose that brand.

MDarringer - 10/3/2016 7:24:12 PM

+5 Boost

Yes, it is much more catchy to continue defrauding customers.

TomM - 10/3/2016 7:26:38 PM

+7 Boost

As "catchy" as you may say the name is - I am sure that some Ad exec can come up with something just as effective. AutoDrive might be one.

The problem is that - it is NOT an AUTOPILOT - AND it has several basic problems that I doubt will ever be solved in my lifetime. Among them are - 1 - It is programmed by HUMANS - and 2 - the other cars are driven by HUMANS. I have yet to see anyone who can accurately predict how Humans will "consistently" react to basic situations during driving - much less unusual ones. I have seen actual drivers do incredibly stupid things when presented with problems - such as rain or snow. Some - I could not possibly even think of doing. How will an AUTOPILOT accurately predict humans.

MDarringer - 10/3/2016 7:58:58 PM

+5 Boost

Nothing with "auto" in it is the key. Something like "guardian" would be better i.e. it watches over you...

HenryN - 10/3/2016 8:43:12 PM

-1 Boost

While the use of Autopilot term may be questionable, I'm not sure if the lowly DMV has the power to ban a commercial name. If the CA DMA really wants to improve safety they should think hard on raising the driving test standard and strictly enforce violations such as distracted driving, DUI, clueless drivers, ...