Tesla Autopilot Doesn’t Live Up to Its Name, Buttigieg Says

Tesla Inc.’s name for its trademark driver-assistance system lacks “common sense,” according to the country’s top transportation regulator.

Using the term Autopilot as a feature of its electric vehicles belies Tesla’s own requirement for drivers to keep both hands on the wheel, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday, adding that marketing language is not part of his department’s investigations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a DOT agency, has opened probes into Autopilot’s role in collisions with other vehicles and sudden-braking incidents.