Tesla’s latest earnings report was very bad news for the company. In the second quarter, it made $1.1 billion in net profit, less than the $1.2 billion it reported a year earlier. Vehicle sales were up, but profits remain about a quarter billion short of expectations, and the automaker’s cash flow is negative for the first time in over two years.
But the real blow has been the slow rollout of its Robotaxi service. Elon Musk has staked his automaker’s future on fully autonomous vehicles, promising investors it would help push Tesla’s valuation to an eyebrow-raising $30 trillion — approximately the gross domestic product of the United States, for perspective.
And importantly, he promised to get this done quickly. Before launching Tesla’s first Robotaxi service in Austin last summer, Musk estimated that over 1,000 of the self-driving cabs would be roaming the streets “within a few months.”
Now, a year later, Tesla doesn’t even have a hundred Robotaxis in operation. And its efforts seem to actually be regressing. According to a new chart the company released Wednesday, the Robotaxi network racked up fewer miles from paying customers in the second quarter than it did in the first.
The chart, which may be the most dismal single aspect of the entire earnings cycle, misleadingly displays this data as cumulative miles to make it appear like the Robotaxi service is steadily growing.
But TechCrunch broke it down, finding that in the first quarter, Tesla’s driverless cabs carrying paying passengers drove around 1.1 million miles, but fell to just 700,000 miles in the second — cratering by over a third.
The misleading chart isn’t the only way Tesla has tried to dress up its stalling efforts. A day before releasing the earnings report, it announced that it was expanding to two more cities in Florida, Tampa and Orlando — without sharing the size of those fleets, Electrek noted.
It should tell you something that Tesla has gone to great lengths to keep the size of its operation under wraps. In June, Bloomberg reported that its fleet size across all cities was just 59 robotaxis. Only third of those are fully unsupervised; the other vehicles have a human safety monitor sitting in the front seats.
It’s also tried to play up its seemingly spotless safety record. Before the report, the official Tesla account on X bragged that there were “0 notable incidents across over 380,000 miles traveled by Robotaxi.”
But Tesla doesn’t define what a “notable incident” is. Its vehicles have regularly been caught driving erratically and at times dangerously. Only a day after launching in Tampa, one of its Robotaxis was spotted blundering the wrong way down a one way street in the city.
Musk has frequently emphasized that he’s “paranoid about safety” to explain why progress has moved slowly, while at the same time promising to scale things up rapidly. In January he projected that the Robotaxis would cover half the US population by the end of the year.
But investors are running out of patience. Tesla shares plunged by 15 percent on Thursday after the earnings were released, in part due to frustration over the Robotaxis’ laggard progress, and another three percent on Friday.
“More is needed to show that Tesla’s capabilities are inflecting” on robotaxis, Barclays analysts said in a note per Reuters, noting that Tesla didn’t provide new expansion targets and “hasn’t met previously laid out targets.”
Ford Apple Maps integration will place the navigation service directly inside a new family of affordable electric vehicles, beginning with a midsize pickup expected to start at approximately $30,000 in 2027.
The truck will not depend on CarPlay or a connected iPhone to access Apple Maps. Ford plans to embed the service through MapKit for Automotive, allowing the automaker to incorporate Apple navigation into its own displays, controls and software environment.
CarPlay will remain available for drivers who want to use iPhone apps, messages, calls and media. The native integration, however, means Apple Maps can continue providing directions when no phone is connected or when the driver uses a device from another manufacturer.
The partnership extends beyond dashboard navigation. Ford also intends to use road-level information from Apple Maps while developing future versions of BlueCruise, connecting Apple mapping data with the driver-assistance technology planned for its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform.
Ford Apple Maps Moves Beyond CarPlay
Ford Apple Maps represents a different approach from the familiar relationship between an iPhone and a vehicle.
CarPlay runs from the phone and presents selected apps through the dashboard. The embedded version of Apple Maps will operate as part of the truck software, giving Ford greater control over how directions, charging information and vehicle data appear across its displays.
Drivers can expect turn-by-turn guidance, live traffic conditions, incident reports and detailed destination information. Ford will be able to adapt the visual experience to match the interface created for its new electric platform rather than reproducing the standard CarPlay layout.
EV routing may become the most practical benefit. The system can consider available range, charging locations and route conditions before recommending where a driver should stop.
When supported by the vehicle, navigation can also trigger battery preconditioning before arriving at a fast charger. Bringing the battery toward an appropriate temperature can reduce charging time, particularly during cold or extremely hot conditions.
Integrating those functions removes part of the planning burden from longer electric trips. Drivers will not need to move constantly between a navigation app, charging network software and separate vehicle menus to understand whether a station is suitable.
The native experience also gives Ford an alternative to building a complete mapping platform internally. Apple already maintains search, traffic, routing and place information across a large geographic network, while Ford can concentrate on vehicle-specific functions.
Apple, meanwhile, gains a route into factory-installed automotive software without needing to produce its own car.
A Different Strategy From CarPlay Ultra
The Ford arrangement should not be confused with CarPlay Ultra.
CarPlay Ultra expands the iPhone experience across multiple vehicle screens and can combine phone content with information supplied by the car, including speed, fuel or battery levels and climate controls.
Ford is taking a more selective path. Apple Maps becomes a native service, but the broader dashboard remains a Ford environment.
That distinction may appeal to automakers reluctant to hand control of the cabin interface to another company. Ford can use Apple technology for navigation while preserving its own identity, subscription services and software architecture.
Drivers still receive a recognizable Apple product, but the vehicle manufacturer determines where it appears and how it interacts with charging, driver assistance and other functions.
The arrangement could provide a model for other automakers that want access to individual Apple services without adopting the complete CarPlay Ultra experience.
Image Credit: Ford
A $30,000 Electric Truck Needs More Than a Low Price
The targeted price of approximately $30,000 would place it below many electric pickups currently available in the United States. Ford is aiming at drivers interested in an EV but unwilling or unable to spend the amounts associated with large premium trucks.
The company says the vehicle will provide more passenger space than a recent Toyota RAV4 while including a front storage compartment and a conventional truck bed. Performance is expected to compare with a Mustang EcoBoost, giving the pickup a stronger argument than affordability alone.
Reaching the price target requires changes throughout the vehicle rather than a smaller battery placed inside an existing truck design.
Ford has reduced the number of components, fasteners and assembly operations involved in the new platform. Its zonal electrical architecture is intended to shorten wiring and simplify how software-controlled systems connect across the vehicle.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries will form part of the structural floor. The chemistry avoids nickel and cobalt, generally costs less than alternatives focused on maximum energy density and can offer strong durability for repeated charging.
Production is planned for the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky, where Ford is introducing a manufacturing process that separates major vehicle sections before bringing them together later in assembly.
Apple Maps supports the same cost-conscious strategy. Ford can offer a mature navigation experience without financing the creation of every mapping layer from the beginning.
Apple Maps Will Support BlueCruise Development
The partnership becomes more significant when mapping information begins supporting driver assistance.
Ford Latitude AI plans to use road-level Apple Maps data while developing future BlueCruise capabilities. The objective is to create smoother hands-free travel from a highway entrance ramp through the eventual exit.
Apple Maps can provide advance knowledge of road layouts, interchanges, curves and exits. Ford sensors and onboard systems must still identify vehicles, pedestrians, construction and unexpected changes in real time.
Apple is not developing or controlling BlueCruise. Ford remains responsible for the cameras, sensors, processors and driving decisions used by the system.
The maps provide another layer of context. A vehicle that understands the route in advance can prepare for lane changes, merges and exits before its sensors reach them.
Ford is also developing a large driving model through Latitude AI using extensive road data. Combining that work with detailed maps could allow the company to improve assistance without depending entirely on moment-to-moment visual detection.
The Universal Electric Vehicle Platform is expected to support more capable automated driving in later models. Ford has discussed eyes-off operation from 2028, although final hardware, pricing and regulatory approval remain unresolved.
Introducing that technology through an affordable platform would represent a departure from the usual industry pattern. Advanced driver assistance often begins in expensive vehicles where premium pricing absorbs the cost of sensors and computing.
Ford wants to distribute the development expense across a larger family of electric products.
Image Credit: Ford
Apple Maps Gives the Truck a Familiar Entry Point
The Apple Maps name may make the new truck feel less unfamiliar to customers buying an electric vehicle for the first time.
Charging behavior, range estimation and route planning can create hesitation among drivers accustomed to gasoline vehicles. Presenting those functions through a navigation service already used on millions of iPhones reduces the number of unfamiliar interfaces introduced at once.
Existing Apple Maps users may also recognize saved locations, search behavior and visual guidance, although Ford has not explained which personal features will require an Apple Account or connected iPhone.
The embedded service will still need reliable integration with vehicle range, charger availability and battery temperature. A familiar logo alone cannot compensate for inaccurate charging information or route estimates.
Ford has not yet announced the truck name, final driving range, battery capacity, production specifications or confirmed base price. Those details will determine whether the pickup can combine its promised affordability with enough capability for everyday work and travel.
The first production model is scheduled for 2027, leaving Ford time to refine the software and reveal how Apple Maps will appear across the dashboard before the Louisville assembly line begins building customer vehicles.
Part of the Tracking Layer for Tranche 3 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), the space vehicles will support the White House’s space-based segment ‘Golden Dome for America’ antimissile defense system to expand the country’s missile tracking and defense network, with a projected delivery date of 2028.
36 Space Vehicles Orbiting in Four Separate Planes Will Aid Missile Defense
According to a statement announcing the awards, the 36 space vehicles will operate across four separate orbital planes. Half of the vehicles covering two of the four orbital planes will be made by Sierra Space Corporation. The statement from the SDA describes the vehicles as “missile warning/missile tracking” SVs loaded with specialized sensor packages. An official at the SDA speaking on background told The Debrief that the details of the sensor technologies and capabilities are not available at this time.
The second half of the vehicle order covering the other two orbital planes will be made by defense technology company L3Harris Technologies. Their award calls for 18 Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS)-like missile defense variant SVs.
When The Debrief asked the SDA for clarification on the term “variant” space vehicles, the official explained that this designation represents the different types of sensor packages that each company will provide. For the L3Harris award, the SDA explained that their sensor is an advancement on earlier work performed with the Missile Defense Agency under the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program.
Infrared Sensors Will Integrate with a Low-Latency Communication Network
When discussing the significance of the twin awards, the SDA said their deployment will expand the company’s missile defense sensing established in previous phases “in support of homeland defense and theater defense.”
“Each AMDT3 SV will be interoperable with all SDA Tranche 1, Tranche 2, and Tranche 3 SVs and will operate in an integrated fashion through a common ground system,” the statement explained.
They also note that the tracking layer is equipped with infrared sensors “that will integrate with a low-latency communication network.”
“With these awards, SDA is accelerating the deployment of the Tracking Layer to provide the homeland, our deployed forces, and allies with global, persistent indications, detection, identification, warning, tracking, and defense against advanced and evolving missile threats,” explained G.P. Sandhoo, Space Force Portfolio acquisition executive for Missile Warning and Tracking and SDA director. “AMDT3 expands upon SDA’s previous and current Tracking Layer generations — Tranches 1, 2 and 3 — marking another milestone in delivering a resilient, global missile warning, missile tracking, and missile defense capability.”
Future Satellites Will Offer Even Greater Capability to the Warfighter
Although a specific delivery date for each of the company’s separate awards was not made public, the announcement did say they are expected to be available for launch “by the end of 2028.” Once aloft and in their respective orbital planes, the missile tracking and defense space vehicles will be operated and maintained by the U.S. Space Force.
When asked by The Debrief if there are any plans to add capabilities beyond detection and tracking to the multi-layer system in the future, the SDA said future improvements are one of the main pillars of the organization’s business model.
“We use spiral development to deliver new generations of satellites (we call them “tranches”) every few years,” the SDA explained. “Each new tranche represents an enhancement over the previous and offers greater capability to the warfighter, either through additional sensing coverage, or through technology advances (or potentially both).”
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org
Zoox, the Amazon-owned robotaxi company, issued a recall after one of its self-driving cars blundered into a cloud of heavy smoke near a fire scene that emergency workers were responding to, and became confused.
The recall, in the form of a software update, will affect its entire fleet of 105 autonomous robotaxis.
The patch “enhances the existing capability of detecting active [emergency] scenes by adding the ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke in certain situations,” Zoox told TechCrunch in a statement.
While you wouldn’t be remiss for thinking this was related to the wildfire smoke covering much of the eastern US right now, the recall highlights how self-driving cars still struggle to respond to unpredictable conditions.
In a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Zoox said that during the June 20 incident, one of its robotaxis “encountered heavy smoke that obscured an active emergency fire scene that was not cordoned off with cones.”
Though it should have avoided the smoke cloud, the vehicle, which wasn’t carrying any passengers, “braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop,” the company added. Eventually, a teleoperator intervened and helped reverse the robotaxi away from the scene, allowing first responders to place traffic cones to block off two of the three lanes. CNBC reported that the incident occurred in Las Vegas, where Zoox is currently offering free rides.
It’s not the first time robotaxi companies have landed in hot water for impeding emergency responders.
These mounting incidents led NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison to send a strongly-worded letter to robotaxi companies, calling their cars’ interference with emergency responders “unacceptable.”
“Let me be clear: the inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency,” he wrote. “Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme ‘edge cases.'”
“To state it bluntly: an AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public,” he added.
It’s pretty clear that EVs and software defined vehicles (SDVs) go hand-in-hand these days, and while Tesla paved the way with the Model 3 back in 2017, Rivian, Lucid, and Chinese manufacturers quickly followed. The legacy car manufacturers are taking a while longer to get on board, but are finally catching up. Companies like Hyundai Motor Group, General Motors, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are starting to launch full SDVs.
SDVs for the win
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
SDVs are cars with functions and features that are primarily enabled through software and can improve over time via over-the-air (OTA) software updates. I’m not just talking about updating navigation or infotainment, here. Thanks to their zonal architecture, full SDVs use a holistic approach to software updates where every hardware module can be updated OTA, which enables diagnostics and even recalls without a dealer visit.
The cynical view is that SDVs allow greedy car manufacturers to extract revenue from customers via needless subscriptions, but that's short-term thinking. When done right, there are many benefits to SDVs. Companies like Rivian and Tesla issue free monthly OTA updates to fix bugs and add new features to their EVs, to the delight of their customers, while only charging an optional subscription for higher data connectivity and ADAS tiers.
SDVs go beyond EVs
Myriam JoireMyriam Joire
What happens when you extend SDVs beyond EVs to hybrid and combustion vehicles? A few weeks back, I visited Mercedes’ factory near Tuscaloosa, AL, where the company manufactures most of its global SUVs, to get a first look at the refreshed GLE and GLS SUVs. Beyond more powerful engines and the usual mid-cycle cosmetic upgrades inside and out, these SUVs are Mercedes’ first hybrid and combustion SDVs. Well, almost.
Unlike their predecessors, the 2027 GLE and GLS run the company’s MB.OS across all four domains — infotainment, automated driving, body & comfort, and driving & charging — just like Mercedes’ first full SDVs, the all-electric CLA and GLC. Previously, MB.OS was only implemented for navigation and infotainment, like in the current E-Class sedan and wagon. As such, those cars weren’t SDVs. But there’s a catch.
Mercedes notes, however, that “while all of these vehicles leverage MB.OS principles and a domain-oriented software architecture, the underlying hardware, communication systems, software capabilities, and OTA deployment approaches vary by vehicle platform.” As such, the refreshed GLE and GLS, while only partial SDVs, are closer to full SDVs than any other hybrid or combustion car before them.
The 2027 GLE and GLS feature Mercedes’ pillar-to-pillar Superscreen as standard, which consists of three 12.3-inch displays (driver, center, and passenger) behind a single glass surface, and includes a selfie camera for video calls (when stopped) and for selfies, naturally. Video calls require apps like Zoom, which you can download from Mercedes’ own app store. A 3D instrument display and head-up display are available as an option.
Myriam JoireMyriam Joire
Like the all-electric CLA and GLC, the refreshed GLE and GLS feature a generative AI-powered voice assistant which uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT4o, Microsoft Bing Search, and Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent (for navigation) — depending on context. The MBUX Virtual Assistant can handle a whole range of natural language requests, from adjusting the climate and music to navigation and even general knowledge queries.
Mercedes’ MB.Drive Assist Pro, the company’s NVIDIA-powered point-to-point level 2+ advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), which launched on the all-electric CLA and GLC, is coming to the 2027 GLE and GLS, first in China, then in the US later this year. This ADAS is similar to Tesla’s ill-named full self-driving (FSD), but in addition to using ten cameras, it also uses five radar sensors and twelve ultrasonic sensors.
In all, the refreshed GLE and GLS show that drivetrain variations aside, it’s possible for all-electric, hybrid, and combustion vehicles to reach parity as SDVs when it comes to infotainment, navigation, comfort, and ADAS. Let’s hope that Mercedes fully embraces this exciting new technology and follows in Rivian and Tesla’s footsteps by releasing free monthly OTA updates to fix bugs and add new features to these new SDVs.
SDVs for all
Myriam JoireMyriam JoireMyriam Joire
What’s even more important is that SDVs are starting to extend beyond EVs and luxury cars. Manufacturers like Hyundai Motor Group are launching more affordable hybrid and combustion vehicles that are SDVs. The zonal architecture used by SDVs makes cars inherently less expensive to manufacture since it requires fewer hardware modules and much simpler wiring harnesses (less copper means less cost and less weight).
The South Korean Grandeur sedan and Europe-bound IONIQ 3 SUV are Hyundai’s first proper SDVs. Both cars run the company’s new Android Automotive-based Pleos Connect navigation and infotainment platform, and include Hyundai’s App Market and large language model (LLM)-powered Gleo AI voice assistant. Pleos Connect, the App Market, and Gleo AI will also be coming to Hyundai Motor Group’s future Kia and Genesis cars.
...while I believe that the future is all-electric, hybrid and combustion vehicles will be sticking around a little while longer
Right now, most of the affordable full SDVs being developed outside of China are EVs. Ford is working on its Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) SDV platform which will initially underpin an all-electric small truck priced around $30,000. Volkswagen’s upcoming ID.1 city car, destined for Europe and priced below €20,000, is the company’s first SDV. Its zonal architecture and software stack are a direct result of VW’s partnership with Rivian.
Hopefully, these new EV-first platforms can also be adapted to manufacture more affordable hybrid and combustion SDVs. Because while I believe that the future is all-electric, hybrid and combustion vehicles will be sticking around a little while longer, at least here in the US. And considering the cost and feature benefits of SDVs, it would be a shame if manufacturers didn’t deploy this technology across all their upcoming vehicles.
My takeaway
Between 2018 and 2024, I owned two Tesla Model 3s, so I was able to enjoy the benefits of SDVs firsthand. There’s something utterly wonderful about finding an OTA software update waiting in your car every month, ready to deliver new functionality for free. Rivian aside, I have missed this on every other EV I’ve driven since, and because of this positive experience, I will forever associate SDVs with EVs.
But as Mercedes has shown with the refreshed GLE and GLS SUVs, the benefits of SDVs also extend to hybrid and combustion vehicles. SDVs allow the company to provide a consistent and modern user experience across its entire lineup, regardless of drivetrain. Not to mention, SDVs reduce costs and complexity for all manufacturers. As such, I’m looking forward to SDVs becoming the norm for more cars going forward.
Robotaxis are multiplying across the US, and as they do, a not-so-flattering pattern is riding shotgun. Not only do robotaxi companies themselves put a significant strain on public resources, they’re training the public to act just as entitled as they are.
As a recent article by Bloomberg points out, riders hopping into driverless cabs from Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox are treating driverless trips as a license to unwind.
With no human behind the wheel, riders feel like they have no social contract to follow. As a result, they’re turning robotaxis into trash cans, leaving behind spilled drinks, food scraps, and in some cases, bodily fluids like vomit for the next unlucky sap.
Granted, it’s probably easier said than done to clean a mess from a robocab once it’s been made: as one unfortunate Waymo rider discovered in May, the vehicles will sometimes speed off within seconds of dropping you off, even if you have bags in the trunk.
Others are using their robotaxi rides as roving sleep pods. It’s tough to say how common this particular behavior is, but Bloomberg notes that first responders in Austin, Texas got so many calls about dozing riders during Waymo’s first nine months in the city that they had to invent a new category just for “sleepers.”
Elsewhere, people are treating their self-driving cars more like party buses. In April, a Tesla driver was arrested after police found him passed out behind the self-driving wheel, having polished off a buffet of wine coolers and pizza before dozing off.
Sure, none of this will really affect you unless robotaxis are part of your daily commute. But as discussion around the robotaxi’s broader impact on society grows more urgent, it’s worth noting that hailing one seems to put you in a league with some of the worst riders currently in the game.
HELSINKI — China confirmed a methalox Long March 10C as its commercial workhorse following its first successful booster recovery, while injecting fresh capital into commercial rocket ventures. The China Academy […]
Trucks at the Port of Oakland. The new proposal would rescind a 2022 rule designed to significantly reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, which cause smog.
For many years, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sworn up and down that the use of radar and lidar sensors for autonomous driving is a waste of time.
His counterargument has been that cameras and powerful AI-powered hardware are all you need for safe self-driving, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.
That decision is now risking a major roadblocks for the company in New Jersey. As The Verge reports, a bill that’s coming up for a vote this year would require fully autonomous vehicles to use both cameras and at least two other sensing technologies — in most cases, lidar and radar.
If the bill were enacted, it would effectively banning Tesla’s fully autonomous fleet of Robotaxis. Other states could soon follow — including New York, which is pondering a similar bill — in a domino effect that could completely derail the automaker’s current trajectory.
“This is not anti-Tesla,” bill sponsor and senator Andrew Zwicker (D-NJ) told The Verge. “I’m pro-New Jersey safety.”
Zwicker argued that there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that a single sensor, plus software “can handle situations that humans can.”
“Can we get there? Maybe,” he told the publication. “But we’re not there yet.”
Relying entirely on cameras that can be blinded by the Sun, fog, or heavy rain is part of Musk’s major bet on AI. He has argued that adding extra sensors may end up being less safe thanks to what he called “sensor contention” in a tweet last year.
“We turned off the radars in Teslas to increase safety,” he wrote. “Cameras [for the win].”
However, Musk is largely alone in that belief. Competitors, most notably Waymo, have made major headway by relying on both cameras and other sensor tech, such as lidar and radar, which perform far better in inclement weather and the dark.
“To run 24/7 across the majority of public roads in New Jersey today, it needs lidar,” Carnegie Mellon professor and autonomous vehicle expert Philip Koopman told The Verge. “It’s pretty clear that today camera-only technology is not up to the challenge.”
Tesla’s current fleet of 42 fully autonomous Robotaxis on public Texas roads is still dwarfed by Waymo’s, which has 577 authorized robotaxis in the state, in addition to several thousand more spread across ten US metropolitan areas.
The company’s slow rollout has been mired by setbacks, which Musk has rationalized is the result of Tesla being “paranoid about safety.” The EV maker has gone to great lengths to censor the circumstances surrounding the Robotaxi crashes it has reported to regulators so far.
Unsurprisingly, Tesla is already lobbying to fight the New Jersey bill. Zwicker told The Verge that company representatives are discussing the subject with lawmakers.
It’s a precarious situation, especially considering the complete lack of comprehensive federal laws providing oversight over the rollout of autonomous vehicles. Each state has been left to fend for itself, a legal patchwork that’s allowing Tesla to push forward despite safety concerns.
The Jeff Bezos-backed startup finally revealed more pricing details for its debut EV, including a $29,950 starting price for the SUV variant, and boosted the base range to 205 miles.
A state-funded tender for tank tooling, a delivered stainless steel forging and launch pad planning suggest that China is developing 7-meter-diameter reusable rockets.
An elderly Texas woman tragically died Friday after a man who told police he was relying on his Tesla Model 3’s automated driver-assistance mode lost control and crashed his car into her family’s home.
In a statement, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Ars that Michael Butler said that “he was operating with an automated driving-assistance system engaged at the time of the crash.” Police are currently investigating whether the autopilot feature in any way caused the crash but confirmed that Butler was not intoxicated and is cooperating, partly by helping cops understand how Tesla’s Autopilot feature works.
“Butler failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence” at a “high rate of speed,” the sheriff’s office said.
The driver told investigators he was using the vehicle’s automated-driver system when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a house in Harris County, Texas.
Login
