A driver collided with a self-driving Tesla in a shopping center parking lot. This was yet another example of how Tesla’s driver assistance software, which is still in the testing phase, can be unstable.
So, the owner of a Tesla Model Y decided to use the Summon feature in the Tesla app for the first time. According to the victim, a local resident of Potomac, Maryland, Tamara Meyer, she saw an empty car coming toward her and eventually rammed her own car without stopping.
«I didn’t see anyone in the car,» Tamara Meyer said. «There was no driver or passenger. It was an empty car that drove into my car by itself».
The Summon feature allows owners to call their car in parking lots, driveways, and other private areas without being inside the car. Although it is already available to drivers, the feature is still in «beta» status. Therefore, errors in operation are quite expected. And, as this situation has shown, the system is clearly not yet ready for public use.
Experts believe that Tesla may be acting rashly by rolling out Summon to its customers. Michael Brooks of NEWS4’s Center for Automotive Safety argues that Tesla is releasing beta versions of its software «too soon, before they’ve been, you know, tested as safe — before they’ve been tested to work properly».
Tesla, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has already had several run-ins with regulators, most notably over its controversial Full Self-Driving driver assistance software. Despite its catchy name, it requires drivers to pay attention and be able to take over at any time.
Source: futurism
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