Tesla Autopilot is not an autopilot, say German authorities ~ station of gear

Tesla has been told to stop using the Autopilot name for its autonomous driving tech in Germany as it could be misleading for customers

2016-10-17 11:45

Tesla has been ordered by the German government to refrain from using the term ‘Autopilot’ to describe its driving assistance system as it may suggest to drivers that they do not need to pay attention to the road.

Speaking to Reuters, German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said that his office had told Tesla “to no longer use the misleading term for the driver assistance system of the car”.

• What is Tesla Autopilot?

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) also wrote to owners of Tesla cars warning them of the potentially ‘misleading’ system.

According to the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, the KBA letter to Tesla said: "In order to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect customers' expectations, we demand that the misleading term Autopilot is no longer used in advertising the system."

• Driverless cars: everything you need to know

Tesla has responded to the order by saying that the term Autopilot has been used in the aviation industry for years and when used properly it can ‘reduce driver workload’ and ‘adds a layer of safety’.

The revelation comes days before Tesla will unveil a new product. Tesla boss Elon Musk had originally planned to unveil the ‘unexpected’ new model today - 17 October – but has delayed the announcement until Wednesday as it ‘needs a few more days of refinement’.

Do you think the term 'autopilot' is misleading when applied to Tesla self-driving car tech? Let us know in the comments...

Jonathan Burn

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