Ex-Tesla Partner Says Carmaker is “Pushing the Envelope” With Safety

Autonomous tech firm Mobileye unceremoniously ended its partnership with Tesla in July. Now, we’re starting to find out a little more on why the collaboration didn’t work out.

According to a new report, Mobileye was uncomfortable with the contradictory messages Tesla was sending about Autopilot, particularly after watching the company’s response to the fatal Model S crash in Florida. While talking up the capabilities of the car, Tesla simultaneously cautions drivers to remain in control and keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Amnon Shashua, chief technology officer of Mobileye, told Reuters, “Long term this is going to hurt the interests of the company and hurt the interests of an entire industry, if a company of our reputation will continue to be associated with this type of pushing the envelope in terms of safety.”

Shashua pointed out that Autopilot is not able to safely handle all types of crash scenarios. In the Florida crash, Tesla admitted that “neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of a tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.”

Meanwhile, Tesla appears to have its own reasons for breaking ties with Mobileye. In July, Elon Musk said the split was “inevitable,” and in a statement to the press, the automaker claimed Mobileye couldn’t keep up with Tesla’s product changes. Addressing Mobileye’s criticisms, Tesla says it has never billed Autopilot as a fully self-driving system.

“Since the release of Autopilot, we’ve continuously educated customers on the use of the features, reminding them that they’re responsible to keep their hands on the wheel and remain alert and present when using Autopilot,” a Tesla spokeswoman said. “Drivers must be prepared to take control at all times.”

Tesla recently announced it will roll out a new feature to make sure drivers keep their hands on the steering wheel when Autopilot is engaged. Autopilot will automatically deactivate if a driver ignores three warnings to place his or her hands back on the wheel within one hour.

Right around the time its partnership with Tesla dissolved, Mobileye announced a deal with BMW to collaborate on self-driving cars. With the help of Intel, the companies will work on solutions for various stages of autonomy, with the ultimate goal of developing a fully self-driving vehicle.

Source: Reuters

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