Recently, the German transport ministry called on Tesla to stop referring to its semi-autonomous driving technology as “Autopilot,” claiming the term was misleading. To see whether this claim was true or not, the carmaker hired a third party to survey Tesla owners in Germany about their views on Autopilot. The results? Drivers don’t seem to be confused about the name.
The survey sample only consisted of 675 German Tesla owners, but the results were pretty conclusive. In one part of the survey, the drivers were asked, “Has the name ‘Autopilot’ caused you to believe that the car is fully autonomous?” Ninety-three percent of respondents answered “no.” In another question, drivers were asked whether they understood the need to maintain control of the vehicle at all times while using Autopilot, and a whopping 98 percent of respondents said they understood this prerequisite.
Tesla has defended its use of the term Autopilot by saying it has been used in the aerospace field for decades. “Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving,” a Tesla spokeswoman told Reuters when Germany took issue with the name.
But German authorities aren’t the only ones criticizing the name “Autopilot.” Following a fatal Tesla Model S crash in May, Consumer Reports also said Tesla should stop using the term. Others take issue with the way the system has allegedly been promoted. According to reports, some consumers in China claimed that Tesla sales staff had suggested the car was fully “self-driving.” Tesla eventually removed the term “self-driving” from its Chinese website for the Model S, although it said the decision wasn’t due to the recent chatter.
Tesla recently announced that all new Tesla vehicles, including the upcoming Model 3, would be equipped with updated Autopilot hardware that will be capable of full Level 5 autonomous driving once regulations allow.
Source: Tesla
The post Survey: Tesla Owners in Germany Aren’t Misled by the Term Autopilot appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2g4GuTw
No comments:
Post a Comment