U.S. Department of Justice asks Tesla for self-driving documents

WASHINGTON, DC: Tesla confirmed this week that the U.S. Department of Justice has requested documents related to the company’s fully self-driving and Autopilot driver assistance systems.

Amid increased regulatory scrutiny of its products, Tesla said it has “received a request from the DOJ for documentation related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features.”

Reuters reported in October that Tesla was under criminal investigation over claims that its electric cars could drive themselves.

The Justice Department launched an investigation in 2021 after more than a dozen crashes involving Tesla Autopilot.

CEO Elon Musk has championed both fully autonomous driving and Autopilot, highlighting innovations that improve road safety and make the company a technology leader.

During a recent Tesla conference call, Musk said, “Full self-driving is obviously getting better very quickly.”

However, regulators are investigating claims about Autopilot’s design and its functionality, whether it could give users a false sense of security, cause driver complacency, and lead to road fatalities. .

Ann Carlson, Acting Director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the agency is “working very quickly” on the Tesla Autopilot investigation, which began in August 2021.

Autopilot, which assists with steering, braking, speed and lane changes, currently requires active driver monitoring and does not make the vehicle autonomous, but fully self-driving, which Tesla sells for $15,000. The add-on allows the vehicle to change lanes and park autonomously.