Latest news with #TeslaFSD
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Waymo Issues ‘Recall' On Robotaxis, But That's The Wrong Word
A Waymo self-driving car is seen in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, California, ... More November 17, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Waymo reported it was 'recalling' all 1,200 of their robotaxis for a software update related to a number of incidents where Waymos hit small things like chains and parking lot gate arms. None of these incidents caused significant damage, or any injuries. Often, the idea of a recall, even a voluntary one, conjures up images of exploding Pinto gas tanks or other major issues, resulting in the very expensive process of bringing every car into a shop for service. Instead, with this recall: Several other robocar companies, including Tesla and Cruise, have also issued recall notices which also were resolved with a normal over-the-air software update. No vehicles were called back. Tesla owners all know they get regular updates, usually one a month or two, affecting the Autopilot and FSD systems in their cars. When a robotaxi project starts out, the cars will be getting updates very frequently. Test cars may get them every day at times, though updates to an entire fleet will be more rare. Updates to an entire fleet require extensive testing to assure the changes haven't caused any regression; making it worse while trying to improve it. That testing will start in simulator and then go to test cars, usually with safety drivers monitoring them. As a system matures, updates will get less frequent. Waymo declined to answer questions about how frequent the updates are. So why the recall? Probably because this problem had been subject to an inquiry by NHTSA, the federal safety agency. NHTSA inquiries and investigations have been tied to declaring certain software updates to be a recall, effectively answering NHTSA to say 'that's been fixed.' In one famous case, NHTSA told Tesla it was upset that Tesla FSD would make 'rolling stops' at 4-way stops, and Tesla issued a recall. After, they modified the training data for their machine learning systems to include only examples of full stops, and removed all 'California stops.' This was a major departure for NHTSA, which does not normally regulate driving behavior and rules of the road, which is the province of the state DMVs. While NHTSA has the power to order recalls, normally companies issue voluntary recalls rather than face that. In turn, a voluntary recall is an admission that there was a problem, and a declaration that they have improved it. Waymo declined to give more details on just what they fixed, other than to say the system is now better at detecting and handling these thin obstacles. While it's unlikely these incidents would lead to injury, it's not impossible, and all fixes are good. Waymo's published statistics, audited by SwissRe, indicate they have very few at-fault incidents causing any property damage to others. That includes breaking a parking gate, though not necessarily hitting a chain if the only damage is scratches to the Waymo. Waymo has issued 2 other recalls. One was for the bizarre incident where two Waymos crashed with the same pickup truck being towed backwards, and a more significant incident where one hit a telephone pole in an alley. Tesla has issued 2 recalls for FSD (including the rolling stop) and one for Autopilot. Almost 40% of Teslas recalls have just been over-the-air updates. Cruise issued several recalls, including one after the dragging incident which led to the company's undoing. NHTSA should consider creating a different vocabulary for these recalls where the vehicles are not recalled. They are best described as 'regulator prompted fixes' or perhaps simply 'significant safety fixes.' There are interesting issues over recalls of robocars, particularly if they do require an actual return to a service center. Today, in most cases, once an automaker issues a recall, it is upon the owners to bring their car in for service. Many take a fair bit of time or never do. What happens if a robocar recall demands the vehicles cease operations? Many envision a world were a sizable proportion of the population have replaced car ownership with robotaxis. Such a recall might strand millions if not done with care. Worse, it might make those millions switch to manual driving, even if that is known to be less safe that the robocars are, even with the defect not yet fixed.
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
US agency asks Tesla to answer questions on Texas robotaxi plan
US car safety investigators asked Tesla to answer questions on its plans to launch a paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June, to assess how the electric vehicle maker's cars with full self-driving (FSD) technology will perform in poor weather. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a letter made public on Monday, said it has been investigating Tesla FSD collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The agency said it is seeking additional information about Tesla's development of robotaxis 'to assess the ability of Tesla's system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions' as well as details on robotaxi deployment plans and the technology being used. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NHTSA in October opened an investigation into 2.4-million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. On Monday, the agency said it wants to know how many vehicles will be used as robotaxis and the expected timetable for availability of robotaxi technology for vehicles controlled by people other than Tesla. It also wants to know whether robotaxi vehicles will be supervised or monitored by Tesla in real time. NHTSA's letter asks Tesla to describe how it intends to ensure safety of robotaxi operations in reduced roadway visibility conditions such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain or snow. The letter asks for details on the robotaxi sensors, use of cameras and sensors 'for the robotaxi system's safe operation when supervised and unsupervised' and whether Tesla complies fully or partially with any industry standards on driving automation systems. In October, NHTSA said it was opening its investigation after four reports of crashes where FSD technology was engaged during reduced roadway visibility conditions. A pedestrian was killed in Rimrock, Arizona, in November 2023 after being struck by a 2021 Tesla Model Y, NHTSA said. In December, 2023, Tesla recalled more than two-million US vehicles to install safeguards in its Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system. NHTSA is still probing whether that recall is adequate to address concerns drivers are not paying attention. There have been at least two fatal accidents involving Tesla's FSD technology, including an incident in April 2024 in which a Model S in FSD mode hit and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist in the Seattle area.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Tesla autopilot and FSD claims prompt review by U.S. Investigators. Check details
The Justice Department is examining whether Tesla, led by CEO Elon Musk, misled consumers and investors about the true capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems Notify me U.S. federal prosecutors are intensifying a criminal investigation into Tesla's claims about its self-driving technology. A recent report by Reuters stated that the Justice Department is examining whether Tesla, led by CEO Elon Musk, misled consumers and investors about the true capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems. The focus is on whether these statements could amount to securities or wire fraud, both of which involve deception through public or interstate communications. While Tesla maintains that drivers must remain attentive behind the wheel, officials are scrutinizing more confident claims, many made by Musk himself, suggesting the vehicles could operate autonomously. Also Read : Tesla refunds early India bookings of Model 3. What it means? SEC and NHTSA also turn up heat In addition to the Justice Department probe, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is also conducting a separate investigation into how Tesla marketed its driver-assistance technology to investors. Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to probe whether Tesla's mass recall of over 2 million vehicles in December 2023 adequately addressed safety gaps. NHTSA documents point to a 'critical safety gap" between what drivers expected and what the technology could actually deliver—an issue regulators say has led to misuse and preventable crashes. Also Read : Tesla FSD near miss! Driver crashes after takeover. Check details) Tragic crashes raise pressure Concerns around Autopilot's real-world impact are growing. In one recent case in Washington State, a man was charged with vehicular homicide after allegedly relying on Autopilot while distracted, resulting in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist. Officials say the branding and messaging around Tesla's systems may give drivers a dangerous false sense of security. Investigators are now trying to determine whether internal company communications show that Tesla executives knowingly exaggerated the technology's capabilities. Legal experts say this will be crucial to establishing intent—something prosecutors need to move from 'aggressive marketing" into criminal territory. Musk doubles down on autonomy Despite these challenges, Musk continues to champion Tesla's autonomous future. In April, he reaffirmed the company's focus on self-driving tech, calling it a 'blindingly obvious move" even as Tesla slashes jobs and cancels projects amid falling profits. Tesla's past promises of full autonomy remain unfulfilled. Whether those claims amount to fraud or are simply aspirational marketing may soon be decided in court. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 12 May 2025, 08:38 AM IST
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything Says Elon Musk Promised His Tesla With FSD Would Gain Value. Seven Years Later, It's Worth Just 20%
Popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson, better known as JerryRigEverything, just called out Elon Musk for a bold promise that hasn't aged well. In a post on X, he shared a screenshot showing that his 2018 Tesla Model X is now worth just $22,400. That's about 20% of what he paid for it, despite Musk's claim that Teslas with Full Self-Driving would appreciate over Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Invest in the future of digital engagement: . Back in 2019, Musk said buying a Tesla was an investment, not an expense. 'If you buy a Tesla today, I believe you are buying an appreciating asset – not a depreciating asset,' he claimed. The idea was that Tesla would keep raising the price of its FSD package, making used Teslas more valuable. But reality has gone in the opposite direction. Tesla has cut the price of FSD multiple times since 2023, and used Teslas are now losing value three times faster than the average car, according to recent market data. In replies to the YouTuber's post, many Tesla owners shared similar frustrations. Some said they 'drank the Kool-Aid too' and bought more than one Tesla and saw each of them lose around half their original value. Others criticized Tesla for prioritizing its future robotaxi network instead of completing promised FSD features 'they sold us years and years ago.' Trending: Musk has been overly optimistic about autonomy for years. At a 2015 Nvidia conference, he said self-driving was a 'solved problem' and predicted that fully autonomous cars would arrive in just a few years. That timeline has repeatedly slipped. On a recent earnings call, Musk finally admitted that Tesla's current hardware isn't enough to make full autonomy a reality. He said the realization was 'absolutely painful and difficult.' Ross Gerber, one of Tesla's early investors, summed it up bluntly in a recent post: 'My Tesla FSD is like a 12-year-old driving next to a Waymo.'Despite Musk's original vision of consumer-owned Teslas becoming income-generating robotaxis, the company is now shifting to a small geo-fenced fleet in Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, customers who paid thousands for FSD are left with a driver-assist system that still requires constant supervision. Even some loyal fans are starting to lose patience. As one commenter put it: 'The man is a genius at marketing to people on the spectrum. How on earth would any machine with as many moving parts as a car possibly appreciate in value?' Read Next: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . BlackRock is calling 2025 the year of alternative assets. Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything Says Elon Musk Promised His Tesla With FSD Would Gain Value. Seven Years Later, It's Worth Just 20% originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Analyst Cuts Tesla (TSLA) Price Target Amid ‘Commoditized' FSD Product
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) stands against other stocks everyone is talking about after Trump's new tariffs. Countries are beginning to react to President Donald Trump's new reciprocal tariffs and analysts believe things might not go according to the White House's expectations, with American workers and consumers likely to see the impact of new duties. Fred Kempe from Atlantic Council said in a latest program on CNBC that many countries can impose strong retaliatory tariffs against the US. 'I think we have to recognize what's going to be implemented is going to be the highest effective tariff rate since the 1930s. What also happened in the 1930s is you had new trading blocks, you had new trading partners finding their way to each other, and you could find that that happens as well. And let's not forget what also happened in the 1930s afterwards. We hope that's not going to happen now, but, um, you know, a trade war just really never serves, in the end, global stability, global peace.' Kempe said investors failed to realize that Trump does not 'care' about falling stock prices as he is looking to change the global trade system. READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In For this article, we picked 10 stocks Wall Street analysts are talking about. With each stock, we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Hadrian / Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 99 Tom Narayan, RBC Capital Markets global autos analyst, said in a latest program on CNBC that he cut Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) price target amid rising competition in the full self-driving space. Narayan slashed his price target for the EV maker by $120 to $320. 'What changed is we've had a lot of discussions with different management teams at OEMs. We just had Mercedes on the road last week talking about their level two, level three plus autonomy product. We had Aptiv at CES, and a number of companies talked about how they view autonomy as a me-too product for brand differentiation, rather than pricing it as a profit center. We also heard about BYD's God Eye product, where they're trying to make it standard on lower models. When we look at all that, we consider Tesla FSD. We initially thought they would be at $100 a month pricing down the road. Now we're thinking this may be more of a commoditized product as other car companies offer this. Let's drop this to $50 a month, which we think is more realistic.' Tesla's EV sales are falling all over the world as the company faces challenges from competitors. For example, in California, the largest U.S. market for electric vehicle adoption and sales, Tesla sales fell about 12% year over year in 2024, causing its market share to drop from 60.1% in 2023 to 52.5% in 2024. Was it because Californians are buying fewer EVs? No. Californians purchased more than 2 million electric cars during the year, almost double when compared to the past two years. Things aren't looking good for Tesla in Europe, either. For example, in Germany, Tesla delivered just 1,429 new cars in February, down 76% from the same month last year. In contrast, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged 30.8% during the month. Tesla Inc's (NASDAQ:TSLA) product lineup is showing signs of stagnation, with over 95% of sales still coming from the Model 3 and Model Y. Meanwhile, competitors are rolling out more advanced models. According to Reuters, Tesla's market share in Europe is slipping as legacy automakers like BMW post stronger sales. Chinese competitor BYD is also gaining ground in Europe, despite talk of tariffs. Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q4 2024 investor letter: 'The largest relative detractors in the quarter were Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) (not owned), Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Broadcom (not owned). We've spoken at length about our rationale for not owning Tesla. The stock enjoyed a 54% return during the quarter, with effectively all of the share price performance strength coming in the post-election period, as the market expressed a positive view on Elon Musk's prominent role in the incoming Trump administration and its potential implications for Tesla. While we agree this development should be a net positive for Tesla and recognize the company's interesting future prospects for autonomous driving and humanoid robots, its current valuation demands that shareholders pay primarily for potential innovations that have yet to materialize, with uncertain risks and timelines, presenting a different type of risk profile than we are comfortable with. Today, Tesla is an automobile manufacturer limited to the higher-income segment and is increasingly challenged to sell vehicles when interest rates are not zero. As such, we continue to question the company's long-term growth profile, its ability to scale a large robotaxi service (which seems to be the source of euphoria in Tesla shares), and its corporate governance.' Overall, TSLA ranks 3rd on our list of best mid cap growth stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of TSLA, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TSLA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
