Tesla accused of misleading EU regulators over autonomous safety data
What's the story
Tesla has been accused of presenting misleading safety data for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to European regulators. The information was revealed through correspondence obtained by Reuters via public records requests. The automaker is seeking wider approval of its FSD technology in Europe, a region where it is trying to regain market share after a decline in sales last year due to Musk's political activities.
Data discrepancies
Reuters examination found invalid data comparisons
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other company executives have claimed that the FSD driver-assistance feature is up to 10 times safer than human drivers. However, a Reuters examination found several invalid data comparisons behind these claims, which exaggerated Tesla's safety statistics. The automaker has provided this inflated data to some European regulators as part of its efforts to gain approval for FSD in the region.
Independent verification
Dutch road regulator approved FSD after testing it
The Dutch road regulator (RDW) approved FSD for use in the Netherlands after more than a year of testing and discussions with Tesla. However, RDW has not commented on the issues identified by Reuters with Tesla's safety statistics. The agency said it "does not rely on marketing claims or external statistics" to make decisions and performs its own "tests, analyses, and verifications" of the system on public roads and test tracks.
Misleading assumptions
Presentation claimed FSD could have saved 32,000 lives
Tesla policy manager Ivan Komusanac recently emailed Swedish regulators seeking similar FSD approval. He attached a slide presentation showing that Teslas using FSD can travel more than seven times farther between crashes than the average US human driver. The presentation also claimed that FSD could have saved 32,000 lives and prevented 1.9 million injuries. However, researchers say these figures are highly misleading as they are based on unrealistic assumptions about the replacement of all US vehicles with FSD-enabled Teslas.
Flawed comparisons
Tesla's crash rate comparison has been criticized
Tesla has also been accused of exaggerating the technology's safety by comparing a rate of crashes in FSD-piloted Teslas that triggered airbag deployments to a US crash rate for all vehicles, including far less severe accidents. The company compares its cars to the average US vehicle, which is much older than the average Tesla. This skews results as automakers have gradually introduced new safety features that reduce crashes over time.
Market impact
Tesla could face stiff competition from Chinese EV makers
Tesla has said that FSD approval in Europe is crucial for vehicle sales growth in the region. The company is still trying to regain market share after last year's sales drop due to Musk's political activities. If Tesla fails to secure approval, it could face stiff competition from Chinese EV makers who are steadily making inroads into the European market.