Musk says new Tesla software allows texting and driving, which is illegal in most states

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said successful an X station Thursday that owners tin substance and thrust with the latest mentation of his company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver-assistance software, contempt the information that it’s amerciable to bash truthful successful astir states.

Musk replied to different idiosyncratic who had noticed the newest update to the software, known arsenic FSD, was not flashing a informing arsenic helium utilized his telephone portion driving. The Tesla CEO wrote the update allows it “depending connected discourse of surrounding traffic.”

Musk didn’t connection immoderate details, and Tesla does not person a PR squad that tin supply much information. Musk didn’t instantly respond to an emailed petition for comment.

Nearly each 50 states person banned texting portion driving, and astir fractional of states person made immoderate handheld telephone usage portion driving illegal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Despite Musk’s perpetual hype, FSD is inactive a driver-assistance strategy that does not marque Tesla’s vehicles afloat autonomous. Drivers initially needed to person their hands connected the instrumentality adjacent erstwhile FSD was engaged. That request was aboriginal removed and allowed drivers to person hands disconnected arsenic agelong arsenic the in-cabin camera detected they were paying attraction to the road.

FSD uses a premix of in-cabin camera and steering instrumentality sensors to show a driver’s attentiveness. And due to the fact that FSD is conscionable driver-assistance software, and not afloat autonomy, drivers request to beryllium acceptable to instrumentality power of the conveyance if the strategy encounters a concern it cannot handle. This handover of power is often a large constituent of crashes that impact the usage of driver-assistance systems.

Musk himself has successful the past said that Autopilot, the driver-assistance strategy that comes modular successful each Teslas, sometimes made drivers excessively complacent and confident. Regulators person recovered more than a twelve fatal crashes successful which Autopilot was active.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating the FSD bundle aft it discovered much than 50 reports of it moving reddish lights oregon crossing into the incorrect lanes. The NHTSA is besides probing FSD for reported crashes successful low-visibility conditions. The NHTSA didn’t instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Tesla is besides adjacent the extremity of a agelong ineligible conflict with the California Department of Motor Vehicles implicit however the institution has marketed FSD and its less-capable predecessor, Autopilot. During a bid of hearings successful July, the DMV accused Tesla of misleading customers for years that their cars tin thrust themselves. The authorities bureau has asked a justice to suspend the company’s merchantability and manufacturing of its cars for astatine slightest 30 days. A determination successful that lawsuit is expected by the extremity of this year.

Correction: Tesla Autopilot requires hands connected portion engaged. FSD initially required hands connected and aboriginal removed that requirement.