Tesla undergoing criminal investigation in US over self-driving claims: Report

Tesla Inc. is the subject of a criminal investigation in the United States for making claims that its electric cars can drive themselves, reports Reuters.

Following more than a dozen mishaps, some of which were deadly, involving Tesla's driving assistance system Autopilot, which was turned on during the accidents, the USDepartment of Justice opened the previously unreported investigation last year, the people said.

Tesla's marketing brochures began praising Autopilot's capabilities as early as 2016. Elon Musk, the CEO of the Silicon Valley automaker, said in a conference call that year that it was "probably better" than a human driver.

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Musk stated on a different call last week that Tesla would soon release an updated version of its "Full Self-Driving" software that would enable users to travel "to your work, your friend's house, or to the grocery store without you touching the wheel."

The person in the driver's seat is merely there for legal reasons, according to a video that is now available on the corporate website. He is not acting in any way. The vehicle is self-driving.

But the company has also made it clear that while using Autopilot, drivers must maintain control of their cars by keeping their hands on the wheel.

According to the company's website, the Tesla technology is intended to help with steering, braking, speed, and lane changes but its functions "do not make the vehicle autonomous."

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These cautions, according to the sources, might complicate any lawsuit the Justice Department might want to file.

The claims made about Autopilot's capabilities and the system's design are already being closely examined by federal and California safety regulators to see if they give customers a false sense of security, leading them to treat Teslas as truly driverless cars and grow complacent behind the wheel with potentially fatal results.

Due to the potential for criminal charges to be brought against the business or specific individuals, the Justice Department probe may constitute a more intense degree of scrutiny, according to the people familiar with the investigation.

(with inputs from agencies)