CBS News
Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system faces probe after pedestrian death
Tesla is facing scrutiny by federal regulators after a report that the electric car maker’s “Full Self-Driving” system may be linked to a fatal accident.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday after the company reported four crashes, including one that killed a pedestrian, after Tesla vehicles entered areas of low visibility including sun glare, fog and airborne dust.
In addition to the pedestrian’s death, another crash involved an injury, the agency said.
Investigators will look into the ability of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions, and if so, the contributing circumstances for these crashes,” NHTSA said..
The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
A message was left early Friday seeking comment from Tesla, which has repeatedly said the system cannot drive itself and human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.
The agency also said it would look into whether any other similar crashes involving “Full Self-Driving” have happened in low visibility conditions, and it will seek information from the company on whether any updates affected the system’s performance in those conditions.
“In particular, his review will assess the timing, purpose and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Telsa’s assessment of their safety impact,” the documents said.
Last week Tesla held an event at a Hollywood studio to unveil a fully autonomous robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. CEO Elon Musk said the company plans to have fully autonomous vehicles running without human drivers next year, and robotaxis available in 2026.
“We’ll move from supervised Full Self-Driving to unsupervised Full Self-Driving, where you can fall asleep and wake up at your destination,” Musk said during the October 11 event. “It’s going to be a glorious future.”
The company also expects to make the Full Self-Driving technology available on its popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Texas and California next year.
The unveiling of the Cybercab comes as Musk tries to persuade investors that his company is more about artificial intelligence and robotics as it struggles to sell its core products, an aging lineup of electric vehicles.
The splashy launch comes as Tesla struggles to drive sales and as Musk seeks to focus investor attention on the company’s robotics technology, including a humanoid robot dubbed Optimus.
Tesla said earlier this month that it had deliver nearly 463,000 vehicles in the third quarter, up slightly from about 435,000 cars in the year-ago period.
Although Tesla remains the biggest U.S. manufacturer of electric vehicles, but faces mounting competition in its key markets around the globe, including Europe and China.
CBS News
Trump putting blame on Biden for looming government shutdown after tanking bipartisan deal
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Swedish hip-hop star reportedly gunned down in parking garage in shooting captured on camera
Swedish police said Friday a man had been shot dead in a parking garage in the city of Norrkoping, with media identifying the victim as the rapper Gaboro, who reportedly had links to criminal gangs.
A video purporting to show the killing quickly spread on social networks. In the video, seemingly filmed with a camera worn by the shooter, a person carrying a handgun can be seen firing multiple shots in a car garage.
Police said they were aware of the video and that it was part of their investigation.
They said a man in his 20s, who had been found injured at the scene on Thursday morning, was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Police said in a statement that they were seeking information about a silver station wagon that may be connected to the case.
“The police are still working very intensively on the case, which is classified as murder,” the statement said.
Multiple media outlets reported that the man was the rapper Gaboro, whose songs have been streamed millions of times on Swedish music streaming giant Spotify.
Sweden has seen a rise in gang shootings and bombings linked to score-settling between rival groups, with police struggling to control the illicit drug market.
Several high-profile artists have previously been victims of the violence.
In June, 26-year-old rapper C.Gambino — whose real name is Karar Ramadan and is not to be confused with American rapper Childish Gambino — was killed in a shooting. He had been named the country’s hip-hop artist of the year the month before.
Another award-winning Swedish rapper, Einar, was shot and killed in Stockholm in a gang conflict in October 2021.
Nevertheless, police told Reuters this week that they were making headway in their effort to curb. deadly gang violence, resulting in fewer shootings and shooting deaths.
“This is the first time we have seen the trend pointing clearly downwards over an extended period of time,” Police National Operations Department head Johan Olsson told Reuters.
Last year, 53 people died in 363 shootings, which often took place in public and sometimes claimed the lives of innocent victims and passers-by.
CBS News
Government shutdown looms as plan backed by President-elect Trump fails in Congress
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.