While the NHTSA, the federal agency in charge of American road safety, is still carrying out its investigations on Autopilot, it is the turn of the German authorities to open an official investigation into Tesla’s technology. Specifically, the lane change function is the focus of concern.
As you may know, Autopilot has been at the center of several official investigations in recent months. After a succession of accidents where Tesla technology was involved, the NHTSA launched investigations into the automaker’s assisted driving system. The US federal agency’s concerns have only worsened after mounting complaints of instances of phantom braking with Autopilot activated.
And if the United States’ investigation continues, the German authorities have decided to look into the Autopilot in turn. Indeed, the KBA, the German federal agency for road traffic, has just opened an investigation into Tesla’s flagship technology. More precisely, the investigations will mainly focus on the lane change function included with the assisted driving system.
Germany is also interested in Autopilot
“The KBA has opened an investigation into an electronic lane change feature in Tesla’s Autopilot. This function, which the American car manufacturer offers as an accessory in certain models, may not be authorized in Europe”, explains a KBA spokesperson.
Unfortunately, the German authority did not provide more details on its motivations, nor why this particular function could contravene European legislation. However, we know that tests are still in progress, and that the KBA must make its conclusions on the Autopilot in a short time. Moreover, and within the framework of these tests, KBA teams work together with the Dutch Vehicle Authority (RDW), the agency in charge of the approval of Tesla cars in Europe.
As a reminder, Tesla is going through a delicate period. For several months, the manufacturer has multiplied major recalls. Recently, the brand was forced to recall 579,000 cars due to an option that endangered pedestrians. Earlier, de-icing problems were spotted in 26 cars.
Source: Electrek
