Tesla threatens to sue critics over ads showing cars hitting models

Tesla He threatened to sue Dan O’ Dowd, CEO of Green Hills Software and The Dawn Project, after he created and paid for a national television ad campaign showing a Tesla car clipping a compact mannequin on an enclosed test track. The ad says the car has used Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, branded “Full Self-Driving”.

In a cease-and-desist letter, Tesla said that this provocative ad amounted to “misinformation about Tesla,” that “alleged tests” in the ad “misuse and misrepresent Tesla’s technology capabilities,” and that O’Dowd’s test is “highly deceptive and potentially fraudulent” .

The Dawn Project campaign launches on August 9, according to a tweet from O’Dowd.

O’Dowd narrates the ad himself, stating: “Hundred thousand Tesla drivers already use fully autonomous driving on public roads. I’m Dan O’Dowd. I’m a safety engineer. And Tesla Full Self-Driving is the worst commercial program I’ve ever seen – tell Congress shut it down.

A spokesperson for O’Dowd told CNBC that he spent “seven figures” and the ad was “broadcasting on hundreds of TV stations reaching more than 60% of homes in America.” O’Dowd told CNBC The Dawn Project is a private technology safety and security education company.

Tesla said in the cease-and-desist notice: “We have learned that you and The Dawn Project have disparaged Tesla’s business interests and published defamatory information to the public regarding Tesla’s Full Self Driving (FSD) (Beta) capabilities.”

Tesla then demanded that The Dawn Project remove “Test Track” videos, issue a public recall, disclose funding for tests and commercials created by Project Dawn, and say whether any regulatory agencies have endorsed The Dawn Project’s methodology or test results. .

Washington Post first The cease-and-desist letter was reported, which was also obtained by CNBC.

The Dawn Project ads have been widely criticized. Tesla Critics said The videos fail to identify serious safety issues with Tesla’s driver assistance systems, while Tesla fails fans said The test driver appears to be abusing the system to ensure he collides with the child’s mannequin.

After the TV ad appeared, some Tesla fans and contributors devised their own FSD Beta safety tests to prove that cars would avoid hitting children. They recruited their children for these demonstrations and posted videos on YouTube to be determined later The videos went against our “harmful content” policies and have been removed.

Wednesday Musk He said in a tweet“The early beta has many known issues. The reason we’re releasing it for a limited number of cars is because we’ve discovered unknown issues.”

On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that O’Dowd was “crazy-batsh,” using emojis to express insult.

On a call with CNBC Thursday, O’Dowd said, “I don’t care what’s calling me. When is he going to acknowledge and fix the errors in their system? Those issues have been clarified. What he should do now is disable FSD.”

Tesla markets its driver assistance systems in the United States at various levels.

Autopilot is the standard charge on all new Tesla vehicles. Tesla sells an excellent option called Full Self-Driving (or FSD) for $12,000 up front or $199 per month. The price of the FSD is set to rise to $15,000 in September.

The automaker allows some drivers to access a program called the Full Self-Driving Beta if they score highly on the company’s in-car test. None of these systems make Tesla cars self-driving, safe to use without a driver behind the wheel, ready to brake and on the road at all times. Tesla owner’s manuals warn drivers that the systems do not make their cars self-driving.

California DMV claim That Tesla engages in false advertising regarding its driver assistance systems.

The Federal Vehicle Safety Regulatory Agency, NHTSA, has several investigations underway evaluating the safety of Tesla’s driver assistance systems from autopilot to FSD and FSD Beta.