SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California regulators are threatening to suspend Tesla’s license to sell its electric cars in the state early next year unless the automaker tones down its marketing tactics for its self-driving features after a judge concluded the Elon Musk-led company has been misleading consumers about the technology’s capabilities.
The potential 30-day blackout of Tesla’s California sales is the primary punishment being recommended to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles in a decision released late Tuesday. The ruling by Administrative Law Judge Juliet Cox determined that Tesla had for years engaged in deceptive marketing practices by using the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” to promote the autonomous technology available in many of its cars.
After presiding over five days of hearings held in Oakland, California in July, Cox also recommended suspending Tesla’s license to manufacture cars at its plant in Fremont, California. But California regulators aren’t going to impose that part of the judge’s proposed penalty.
Tesla will have a 90-day window to make changes that more clearly convey the limits of its self-driving technology to avoid having its California sales license suspended. After California regulators filed its action against Tesla in 2023, the Austin, Texas, company already made one significant change by putting in wording that made it clear its Full Self-Driving package still required supervision by a human driver while it’s deployed.
GM, hands down. Ford is also very good. I would personally feel very safe in either one. I am hoping to buy an Equinox soon.
They both just have an entirely different philosophy from Tesla. Tesla, being from Musk, has these ideas of the car (trying) to be this cool piece of tech that does everything for you, but without putting in the real work to make that happen. Musk wants to take the human out of driving entirely and we’re just not there yet.
For GM and Ford (and really, everyone who isn’t Tesla), they see self-driving more as a way to assist you in driving on the highways, not some replacement. If you take your eyes for the road for more than a couple seconds it starts to warn you. Then it takes increasing measures to get to you to pay attention, eventually it will just pull itself over the to shoulder.
BYD doesn’t have that in the US at least (I don’t know about China) because you need to to have the US highways all mapped out in detail and keep it updated.