WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) Amid heightened regulatory scrutiny, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed Tuesday that it is seeking documents related to fully autonomous driving (FSD) and autopilot driver assistance systems.
the automaker said in the filing “We have received a request from the Department of Justice for documentation related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features.”
Reuters reported in October Tesla under criminal investigation The company’s claims that its electric vehicles can drive themselves. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation in 2021 following more than a dozen of his crashes, including fatalities involving Autopilot, according to Reuters.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
CEO Elon Musk has championed the system as an innovation that improves road safety and positions the company as a technology leader.
Regulators are investigating whether claims about Autopilot’s design and its capabilities could give users a false sense of security, complacency behind the wheel, and potentially deadly consequences.
Acting Commissioner Anne Carlson, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) This month the agency said The Tesla Autopilot investigation, which began in August 2021, is progressing “very quickly” and is “very extensive,” she said. In her June, NHTSA upgraded her defect study of 830,000 Tesla vehicles with Autopilot to engineering analysis. This was a necessary step before NHTSA requested a recall.
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Autopilot is designed to assist with steering, braking, speed and lane changes. This feature currently requires active driver monitoring and does not automate the vehicle. Tesla sells its $15,000 fully self-driving (FSD) software separately as an add-on that allows vehicles to change lanes and park autonomously.
Shares of the automaker rose 2% in early trading.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October that the Securities and Exchange Commission was conducting a civil investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot statements, citing sources.
Tesla also forecast capital spending of $7 billion to $9 billion in 2024 and 2025 on Tuesday. The midpoint of that projection will be $1 billion higher than he ranges from $6 billion to $8 billion this year.
Part of the spending will go toward the $3.6 billion expansion of the Nevada Gigafactory complex. Tesla mass-produces its long-delayed semi truck and builds a factory for the 4680 cell. vehicle.
Tesla said it recorded a $204 million impairment loss on its bitcoin holdings while posting a $64 million gain from converting tokens into fiat currency.
Last year, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin took a hit as rising interest rates and the collapse of major industry players such as crypto exchange FTX shook investor confidence.
Reported by Akash Sriram and David Shepardson of Bangalore. Edited by Sriraj Kalluvila and Bernadette Baum
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