Tesla exec says company faked technology in Autopilot video

The electric car brand is defending a lawsuit surrounding the death of a customer in 2018.

Reuters reports that Tesla’s director of autopilot software, Ashok Elluswamy, testified that a video published by the brand purporting to show off “full self-driving” capabilities was staged.

“The intent of the video was not to accurately portray what was available for customers in 2016,” Elluswamy reportedly said.

“It was to portray what was possible to build into the system.”

The New York Times reported in 2021 that Tesla used sophisticated 3D mapping not available to the public to conduct its video demonstration.

It reported that “at one point during the filming of the video, the car hit a roadside barrier on Tesla property while using Autopilot and had to be repaired, three people who worked on the video said”.

Tesla co-founder Elon Musk tweeted at the time that “Tesla drives itself”.

Elluswamy’s reported testimony occurred during a lawsuit pursued by the family of Walter Huang, a 38-year old Apple employee who died when his Tesla Model X collided with a highway barrier in 2018.

Crash investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board found Huang was playing a mobile phone game throughout his last journey, did not touch the steering wheel for six seconds prior to impact, and that his Tesla accelerated from about 100km/h to about 114km/h shortly before impact.

Tesla has faced criticism from regulatory authorities surrounding its promotion of Autopilot technology.

The brand now says that Autopilot “reduces your overall workload” and is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment”.

Tesla tells customers taking part in the manufacturer’s ongoing “full self-driving” that the “use of any hand-held devices while using Autopilot is not allowed,” and that people who ignore in-car warnings will be locked out of the driver aids for approximately two weeks.