German Government Tells Tesla To Drop The Autopilot Name

Agent009: There is no honor in "error as hidden intention" - you should learn to differentiate between "tell" and "ASK".

As for the German's request, Tesla already provided the long answer, but if I were Tesla, my short answer would be "make me".

This action highlights the hypocrisy deeply ingrained in the auto industry where profits precede safety. Slowing the progress of self-driving tech does not make the road any safer. There are 1 million automotive casualties a year world-wide - every year - and the trend rises in recently years. It is worse than any war or disease known to man. And no one has come up with new ideas since the implementation of air bags 30 years ago.

Or maybe this is way to slow down Tesla until the German 3 starts to catch up ? After all, everyone knows Tesla is way ahead of competition in self-driving tech and EV development.

FYI, I am not a fond of Tesla's Autopilot but I cannot sit back and join your chorus in downplaying its role in improving road safety.

Regarding automotive deaths, cars maybe not as deadly and brutal as the 2 World Wars but don't forget who were responsible for those atrocities.

HenryN wrote "...Slowing the progress of self-driving tech does not make the road any safer..."

If we were talking about slowing the progress of genuine autonomous vehicles like Google's cars, then I would be in full agreement with you. But we're not. We're talking about Tesla's driver assist system, which goes by the name of Autopilot. The name implies fully autonomous performance. It is not. And that's the point!

It's not worth the fight with a proactive European government. Just ask Google, Microsoft. Tesla has so many other features they can rely on for marketing impact, concede this point to the German gov't and earn credit points to fight the dealership battle down the road. Well, that's my opinion anyway.

Like the Tesla retort, as soon as they stop calling it the autobahn.

It doesn't imply that at all. Do automobiles drive themselves? No?! Do automatic weapons fire on their own? No either?! Then should we stop calling them that?

re: "...Do automobiles drive themselves? No?..."

AUTONOMOUS automobiles do "drive themselves" after the user instructs them with the destination. They can calculate the route and navigate it successfully, including correct response to any obstacles and traffic conditions they encounter along the way. They do so AUTONOMOUSLY, without the driver's assistance. That's what an autonomous car is.

Tesla's system in a "driver assistance" system. It is not now, nor has Tesla ever presented it to be an autonomous system. However, the name Tesla used for this product, "Autopilot", *IMPLIES* that it's an autonomous system. That's what the German government is upset about.

There are no autonomous automobiles. As a Tesla driver I have never assumed that Autopilot implies autonomous as it does not imply that on airplanes or boats either. More importantly Tesla did not leave me guessing what it can and cannot do, what I as the driver should or should not do, and that I am ultimately responsible for the behavior of vehicle on the road.

VDIV: When you write "There are no autonomous automobiles", do you mean "there is no such thing as an autonomous automobile" or "There are no autonomous automobiles (currently in production or available for sale to consumers)"? Huge distinction.

While YOU have never assumed that Autopilot is fully autonomous (good for you!), the highly publicized Tesla "driver" who lost his life while watching a Harry Potter DVD likely did! I hope you are not asserting "It's never happened TO ME, therefore it never happened."