Hyperdrive
Tesla Engineer Says Musk Overstated the Capability of Autopilot
- California DMV asked engineer about CEO’s autonomy predictions
- Misunderstanding can have ‘tragic consequences,’ DMV warned
Photographer: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg
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California authorities interviewed a Tesla Inc. engineer and concluded from his statements that Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk overstated the capability of Autopilot, the company’s driver-assistance system, early this year.
The clarification was described in a series of records the California Department of Motor Vehicles released to the legal-advocacy group PlainSite, which published the documents Thursday. According to a March 9 memo, DMV officials asked CJ Moore, a director of Autopilot software, about Musk’s claims that Teslas would be capable of fully autonomous driving this year.